How to Plan an Amish Wedding

Amish weddings are very simple, joyous events that involve the whole community. Guests celebrate the coming together of the young bridal couple to set up their own house and start a family.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dress Patterns
• Amish Wedding Quilts
• Chairs
• Clocks
• Fabrics
• Tables
• China
• Chairs
• Tables

1. Join the Amish Church if you don't already belong, since this is a prerequisite for an Amish wedding. The church will help you prepare for the seriousness of starting your own home.

2. Cement your engagement with china or a clock. Amish women don't wear jewelry, but they appreciate practical gifts.

3. Expect your wedding plans to be "published" or announced at the end of a church service, along with the names of other couples who are to be married.

4. Plan to be married sometime in November or early December, after the harvest is done.

5. Hold your wedding ceremony and reception at the bride's family's house.

6. Select a weekday for your wedding. Tuesday and Thursday are popular choices.

7. Remember that it takes a day to set up and cook all the food, and a day to clean up afterward.

8. Invite all the members of the church to attend.

9. Make a new dress for the bride in a practical style she can wear again to church. Any shade of blue is appropriate.

10. Ask family or friends to serve as attendants or newehockers (this is Pennsylvania Dutch for side sitters).

11. Expect everyone to bring a dish for the wedding meals.

12. Select four married couples to serve as forgeher, or ushers, who will greet the guests.

13. Arrange to serve two different meals: a midday dinner and an evening one.

Tips & Warnings

• The bridal couple usually spend their first night together at the home of the bride's family, then honeymoon by visiting family and friends throughout the winter. They eventually move into the groom's parents' house or into another home on their land.
• Saturdays are never used for Amish weddings because it would be sacrilegious to clean up on a Sunday.

[danielzrib]

on 7/30/2008 Very quaint and sweet. An interesting read!