There are different church traditions for the marriage service. One practice in one denomination, I found most appropriate and worth emulating is how the couple make their marriage vows to each other during the wedding service.
Normally the bride and the bridegroom face the altar and the celebrant faces them. Holding their hands across the aisle, the couple make the vows repeating after the celebrant, facing the altar and the celebrant.
During this marriage service the celebrant made the couple face each other and the celebrant himself standing between them, facilitated the couple to read out the vows to each other, rather than repeat after the celebrant.
From the rear pew in a large hall in spite of the echo in the hall and noise outside of the passing by of the traffic, the couple was visible to the large congregation and their vows fully audible. The non-traditional churches have made adaptations in the order of service for different occasions. This change I witnessed, made me feel that the vows were spoken to each other more personally and solemnly.
I felt that the vows, which is the central part of the marriage vows were made more couple centric in this order of service. The couple begin by expressing responsibility mutually on their own, without assisted by a celebrant. This affirmation they make to each other, self expressed, seemed more authentic to the occasion, as I reflected over it.
Many of the worship practices and order of service of different occasions are getting revised to correspond to changing times and needs. I wish, we would make changes to affirm the truth and move away from some traditions that outlived the time!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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