Types of Wedding Ceremonies: Baha'i

Baha'is believe in a love match, not an arranged marriage. With this in mind, individuals must be free to choose their own mates. Prior to the wedding, a couple should get to know each other's character and learn to trust and care for each other. In North America, there is now a movement to have a maximum of a 96-day engagement period prior to marriage.

For a Baha'i wedding ceremony to proceed, the couple needs the consent of all living parents and, if adopted, the permission of birth parents if at all possible, as well as adoptive parents. Parental permission is deemed important in the sense that it is considered helpful in preserving unity within the extended family and therefore providing support and strength for the marriage. The marriage must also be approved by the spiritual assembly of the local Baha'i community.

A marriage certificate from the local municipal office or city hall must be obtained. The wedding ceremony itself is simple, lasting for about 20 to 40 minutes, depending on what Baha'i writings the couple would like to have read or any music that the couple wishes to have incorporated into the ceremony. Instead of attendants such as bridesmaids and ushers, the couple will choose two witnesses to stand with them. During the ceremony, the couple will each say the words, "We will all, verily, abide by the will of God," and Baha'i marriage prayers are available and selections are often read by the witnesses or family members at that time. Afterwards, there is usually a festive celebration to which the community as a whole is invited.

The Baha'is do not have ministers as such, but each community can select one or two persons from the local spiritual assembly to act as marriage officers handling the administration of weddings. Baha'i law states that couples can exchange something of "value" as a token of their love for each other; in North America, this is often interpreted to mean the exchange of rings. There is no particular dress code, although most people wear their best clothes at the wedding and the woman being married may choose to wear a bridal gown.