Wedding Vows & Ceremony Discussions

Is there a reason the bride is always on the left side of the alter

Just wondering if there's any reason that brides & maids always stand on the left and grooms and men always stand on the right when getting married?

I have a birthmark on my right cheek so I get self conscious about my photo ever being taken from that side and it dawned on me that all the wedding photos will be from that side :( I know it's silly and vain to worry about because it's part of who I am but I still hate photos from that side. Should I talk to the photographer about it to make sure they "walk around" and not just the same front view shots?

                                                                 

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Re: Is there a reason the bride is always on the left side of the alter

  • According to super old school tradition: "Standing to the right of his lady meant the groom could defend his bride by holding her back with his left hand while drawing the sword away from her to fend off his competition."

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  • This is the kind of thing that has no impact on the comfort of your guests or the legality of your marriage, so go ahead and do what you're comfortable with. 

    Depending on how self conscious you are of the birth mark, a good makeup artist could cover it. 
  • I'll be standing on the right, FI on the left. There are 4 groomsmen and 2 bridesmaids. There is simply more room on the left side at our venue. I really doubt any one will notice.
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  • The tradition comes from the idea that the bride should be on the groom's left so his right (sword) arm would be free to defend her in the event of an attack.

    Since this will clearly have no impact on your guests' comfort, stand on the right. :)

    FWIW, the tradition is for the FOB to walk on the bride's right side (same reason), and my dad walked on my left. I didn't even think about it until after the ceremony.

    If you're planning on doing bride/groom side seating, though, you should let people know about the change.
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    I'm gonna go with 'not my circus, not my monkeys.'
  • Ok thanks so much!! That's really funny about the sword I never would have thought it went all the way back to those times! 

                                                                     

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  • This is so interesting, my FI is left handed so do we have to change it? :)

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  • This is so interesting, my FI is left handed so do we have to change it? :)

    Actually, no matter your dominate hand, you were taught to sword-fight right-handed, so you'd be on even footing in the lists with the other men.

    Left-handedness also wasn't as much of a thing when the vast majority of people never learned to read or write anyway.

    People who WERE left-handed had it trained out of them, often with other, unintended, consequences (I.e., King George V's stutter).
    Anniversary

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    I'm gonna go with 'not my circus, not my monkeys.'
  • In Jewish weddings the bride is on the right and the groom on the left. Not sure why though. 
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  • hellohkbhellohkb mod
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer
    edited February 2014
    Do what's comfortable for you! Like PPs said, there's no real reason not to. I prefer being on the right as well.

    What's funny is that if my FH *had* to use a sword while at the altar (THAT would be hilarious) he would use his left handed anyway since we're both lefties.


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  • I think just take some sword fighting lessons between now and the wedding and it won't matter which side.

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  • Oh my, I love this. I'm totally going to be standing with FI on my right, just in case a sword fight breaks out.
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  • Are we talking about the groom standing on the right side facing the officiant, or on the right side facing the guests? I would assume assailants would come from the crowd, in which case a groom on the right side (facing the guests) would actually be the wrong side. But that's how I have always seen it done...
  • I stood on the right side.  No reason we just happened to be standing that way when the minister started rehearsal.  I even mentioned we were standing like it was a Jewish wedding but no one seemed to care so we stayed that way.  
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