I am sorry, I was imagining the FUN of a JW wedding, and I fell asleep...... what was the topic again?
Curious as to what a wedding at the KH is like...
by Riverwatcher 40 Replies latest jw friends
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Soledad
Then once someone announces their engagement it becomes this massive popularity contest all of a sudden.
Oh yes no doubt. It also becomes a true competition when there are several weddings scheduled within a short period of time------one family can go to extreme lengths trying to outdo the other family's wedding arrangements. In my congregation it got so out of hand there was an actual local needs talk about it.
One year the daughter of a prominent elder was engaged. She wanted me to be one of the bridesmaid in her rainbow-themed wedding, where each maid wore a different color dress. Lo and behold a fight broke out between some of the other maids over the colors, and the bride tried to stick me with an ugly taxi-cab yellow dress. I didn't care for any particular color, but I couldn't take the pettiness and inmaturity of the bride herself and the entire bridal party so I told her that I wouldn't be a bridesmaid after all.
To noone's surprise the marriage only lasted 2 years.
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Honesty
I don't know cuz me and da ex got hitched by a JW elder out in a field under an oak tree halfway around the Cades Cove loop in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Too bad the ceremony was a lot better than the 10 year
sentenceofhellmarriage. Bob Evans (of the out'nfreenow single class) Walland, TN -
blondie
So, how much importance is placed on a J/W couple being married in the Hall? For instance, if they were married in a civil ceremony by a Judge at one point in their life, (like if one of them wasn't a j/w at that point in time) would they be encouraged to someday be "officially" married in the Hall?
In some countries, JW elders cannot marry other JWs and so a civil ceremony is the only other choice since JWs cannot be married in a church. After the civil ceremony, a ceremony can be held at the KH although it is not the legal one. Civil ceremonies are just as binding as a marriage in the kingdom hall but JWs start wondering why you didn't have it in the kingdom hall; that perhaps you did something to be disqualified. But other JWs have small intimate weddings due to cost. On very rare occasions JWs have married non-JWs in the KH but that was long ago. Things are much tighter now about that. If two non-JWs were married before becoming JWs, as long as the ceremony meets the legal requirements of the secular government, they are married as far as the WTS is concerned. No need to re-marry.
*** w84 4/15 p. 14 Christian Weddings That Bring Joy ***When two Christians in good standing in the congregation desire to have their wedding (or, wedding talk) at the Kingdom Hall, they should seek permission from the body of elders.
On occasion two persons who are serving God and awaiting an assembly to get baptized have been wedded at a Kingdom Hall.***
w82 3/15 p. 31 Questions from Readers ***disregard God’s advice and to marry someone who was not a baptized Witness? Unless there was some exceptional reason, brothers in the congregation would not want to solemnize such an unequal yoking. Nor would the Kingdom Hall be available for the wedding. It is available for marriages of two baptized Christians who are marrying "only in the Lord." Or it might sometimes be used by two persons who are regularly serving God as part of the congregation and who will soon be baptized. By not allowing the Kingdom Hall to be used by a Witness who plans to ‘become unevenly yoked with an unbeliever,’ the congregation elders can underscore the seriousness of God’s counsel to marry "only in the Lord."
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IronClaw
When unbelievers are in attendance, someone will watch the getaway car to make sure that no one decorates the car with cans or any other such pagan-inspired decorations.
Yet the wedding rings have pagan origins, such hypocrites.
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TresHappy
I know fun and a KH wedding cannot be used in the same sentence. I have been to many KH weddings. They were pretty standard; all the ones I went to in the 1980's had their photos taken showing that pukey green carpet on the floor. Ask cruzanheart and Big Tex about the color of their carpet at their wedding!
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Wild_Thing
If you really want to watch a JW wedding (God help you!) ... go to Google video. Here's the link ... http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5494970506572785091&q=Jehovah%27s+Witnesses
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daniel-p
Do they have flower-girls at the Kingdom Hall? You bet they still do - and here's why:
Little do local elders know that the "flower girl" is a throwback to the ancient, pagan, southern-Sri Lanka tribal god Unushibo, who demanded sacrifices of little girls adorned in flowers in order to legitimize a union between a couple. The GB knows this of course, but they don't want to shed any 'increased light' on the matter, thinking it would cause an upset and be seen as prejudice against pretty little girls bearing flowers. I heard about this back at Bethel. I know this sounds crazy, but I was in the crapper, taking care of necessary business (very necessary) when a couple of the GB themselves came in and started chatting while they used the urinals. I knew this, because old bro. Schroeder always wore pants with velcro flys rather than the normal zipper - why I have no idea... but anyway, it always made this loud *riiiiip* sound whenever he was in the John, and everyone knew it and made fun. So anyways Schroeder and Sydlik were there thinking they were alone because I was in the stall making no noise and they went on about what they were discussing - some professor somewhere who wrote a piece on this tribal god Unushibo (sp?) and the flower-girl issue. Sydlik was like "we have more important issues than evicting flower-girls from the Kingdom Hall..." and then Schroeder butted in with "well, now, what if some of these southern-Sri Lankans come into the truth and get stumbled by all these cute little girls bearing flowers? Hm, what then? They'll think we sacrifice little girls, and then they'll be sumbled..." and Sydlik said something like "you damn well know there are no southern-Sri Lankans in the truth, Al, and never will be...."
And then they were done urinating and walked out of the bathroom. At the time, I didn't think of the whole issue much - I was just pissed off that niether of them washed their hands before leaving the restroom..... dirty fuckers. -
billyboy
Slightly off topic , but logistically KH weddings have 2 problems:
1...Size of venue - few KHs hold more than 150 people & many rural halls hold far fewer.
2..As the reception cannot be held in the KH , the challenge is to direct the invitees to the venue for the party afterwards.
As a result , many of the marriages here are held in private venues.
On topic , I have to say that I love KH weddings - it genuinely feels like a religious , biblical service. I was married in a KH & cherish the memories of the occason - it was brilliant. The Church weddings I have attended (where usually it is the first time the bride & groom have ever stepped foot inside the building & they don't know the conducting vicar) are a joke & the Registry Office weddings where the Council official reads a 5 minute script are pathetic.
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walkaway
weddings here can actually be quite good fun, ok it is a rareity but i have had some great times at JW weddings. Most weddings here take place before summer, just after winter ie; i am going to 3 weddings in the next three month, already been to one, and they all follow the routine of most worldly weddings, without confetti etc. Drinks reception at the hotel, usually mulled wine or whiskey- tea/coffee if you so desire. While photographs are done. Bars are all run by hotel staff. wine is available, usually 3 bottles per table. Music is ok as well, most have DJ's as bands are crap for the most part. It is traditional for the bride and groom to be "clapped in" by a standing audience etc. We used to have "pot-luck" weddings but now people have money, it isn't unusual for people to spend the best part of €10.000 on theirs. however i find with weddings, the simpler the better.