amish illinois

 

The Amish in the Arthur area use a green wagon to haul their pews and hymn's.  If there is a green wagon in a yard that is where church services will be held.

Amish Weddings

The young Amish choose their own friends and usually find the "right" crowd that they enjoy spending time with.  The Amish do get a chance to sample the world and then they are faced with the decision of whether to join the Amish church and to whom they will marry.  The Amish call dating "running around" and it begins at the age of sixteen.  the Amish church districts have evening singing which is for unmarried only and this gives the single Amish youths a chance to intermingle.

After a dating period the young Amish couple joins the church and both are baptized.  The young Amish male informs an elder in the church who then goes to the Amish girls parents to receive permission for the marriage.  After permission is given by the parent the bishop "publishes" the marriage announcement in church after which the Amish wedding can then take place.  A Amish wedding  is quite a big affair for the church.  It takes place throughout the Illinois Amish settlements on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  The Amish couple go personally to family and friends to invite them to the wedding.

The Amish bride and groom wear new garments fashions like their Sunday clothes for the wedding.  Royal blue is the color worn by the young Amish bride.  On the day of the wedding a regular church service is held in the home of the bride.  it begins in the morning around nice and ends at noon.  The Amish couple has two unmarried couples that are attendants to them.  They are "put together" at the end of the service with no kiss. 

After the wedding ceremony all of the invited guests are seated on benches  down long tables for the wedding meal.  The Amish wedding couple  has special tables set up with the cake and other special goodies.  following the meal the rest of the day is spend singing and visiting until late evening.  The evening meal is for the wedding couple and close friends.  They eat the wedding cake, visit, play wedding games, and serenade the newly married couple.  The couple spends the night at the brides home and helps the next day with the clean up.  they visit family and friend for a few weeks in place of a honeymoon.