All About Amish Weddings | Discover Lancaster (2024)

FAQs

Can Amish kiss before marriage? ›

Several Amish rituals and traditions were brought over by the first Amish settlers that came to the US. Even kissing isn't allowed during this practice, but while this courtship bedroom ritual may seem counterintuitive, bundling encourages bonding and teaches restraint.

Amish brides typically make their own bridal dresses, and often the dresses of her bridesmaids (known as newehockers). Her dress is typically a beautiful shade of blue or purple, with blue being the more common color worn. After the wedding, this dress becomes a woman's typical Sunday church attire.

You're almost guaranteed to find creamed celery at an Amish wedding, as it's a dish passed down from generation to generation. The celery isn't only one of the staple dishes of the wedding, it's also sometimes used as decoration in place of flowers.

The Amish wedding night will usually be spent in the bride's parent's home, as the couple will need to assist in clean up the following day. They will then spend their first months of marriage – their honeymoon – visiting relatives. (This is when most gifts they receive will be given.)

I think the level of integration with the modern world varies community to community (some Amish communities are more insular than others) but the most conservative of them will probably use the same methods women used for hundreds of years — wrapping themselves with strips of material, or wrapping their shift/ ...

Traditionally, the practice of courtship involved two young adults, often betrothed, who spent the night in bed together under the parental roof to ensure compatibility and accountability. A bundling board or bundling sack may make an appearance, as it takes the form of a contraceptive for a bundling couple.

In the case of Amish women, this identification of marital status is very simple. The bonnets they wear are how to tell if an Amish woman is married. They all wear traditional bonnets on their heads, but while single women wear black, married women wear white.

Amish weddings typically occur on either Tuesdays or Thursdays, as those are the least-busy days of the farming week. The community needs a full day to prepare and clean up for the event.

The purpose of the ritual was to establish the consummation of the marriage, either by actually witnessing the couple's first sexual intercourse, or far more often symbolically, by leaving before consummation. It symbolized the community's involvement in the marriage.

The top 3 mechanisms of injury leading to mortality were falls (34.4%), pedestrian struck (21.9%), and farming accidents (15.6%).

What are the rules for an Amish bedroom? ›

Each person sleeps on their side of the bed, with a board in between them to prevent any physical contact. The couple is allowed to talk to each other during the night, but they're not allowed to touch each other.

The more conservative groups, such as Old Order Amish, only permit marriage within their community and don't tolerate dating or marriage outside of them.

Generally speaking, no, Amish people do not tend to date or marry outsiders. If they do, they may be shunned by their community. Although nothing is stopping them from marrying whomever they want, they prefer to stick within their communities. People also often ask “are Amish marriages arranged?” No.

In summer, conservative Amish tend to bathe at least twice weekly to eliminate dirt and sweat. The women may bathe more frequently and keep the home clean as well. New Order Amish may bathe more frequently than the Swatzentruber order, taking advantage of running water for showers or baths.

Amish rules allow marrying only between members of the Amish Church.