At weddings I've been to, the introduction after the ceremony is
different from any pronouncement as man and wife - it's a formal
introduction to the congregation, usually with the couple facing the
assembly.
When I married in Ohio in 1968, I had no choice. Legally, I had to be
Martha Lenore Krieg. I'd never liked my middle name (probably
devastating my grandmother - as Caroline Lenore, she was known as
Lenore) and was thoroughly disgusted with having to keep it. A year
or so later, the law was changed and as soon as possible I got a new
driver's license as Martha Fessler Krieg, which I have remained ever
since, except when I go to Latin America, where it's easy to switch
to Martha Fessler de Krieg. The children are just plain Kriegs.
The use of just Christian names is church custom - also held at
baptisms (at least in Catholic/Episcopal/Lutheran baptisms I have
been to) and confirmations. I think the idea is that the unique part
of the name, the part that truly belongs to the individual rather
than the family, is the non-family part. And if you are lucky enough
to be Catholic at least in the US, you get to pick a saint's name for
yourself (not assigned by parents or priest) as a confirmation name.
Most American children are given a first and a middle name at birth
(though knowing that I was unlikely to have a fourth child, we gave
both grandfathers' names as middle names to Ian William Herbert
Krieg), so Catholics may easily end up with three names. But I
haven't seen many of them actually using the confirmation name as a
middle name. It's just something they know they have, as American
Jews will have an Anglo name that they use at their public school,
and a Hebrew name that only their family and maybe their close
friends know.
Another interesting difference in customs - in England it's just " I
pronounce you man and wife"
One thing that does usually vary between civil marriage ceremonies
and church ceremonies is that when the vows are exchanged in a civil
ceremony all the names (given/Christian and surnames) are used, in a
church it's only the Christian names.
I used to think it was something to do with the Church of England
being established and having a different status, but last year at my
nephew's wedding in a Roman Catholic church, with registrar in
attendance, it was just Christian names - and only the first ones,
the priest couldn't cope with a whole string of names for Andrew and
he struggled with Sarah, pronouncing it as Sara. Having said that
he actually did brilliantly. He was from Rome in Italy, and on
holiday in England when he was called on to deputise for the regular
priest who had been rushed into hospital a few days previously. It
was the first marriage he'd conducted in English and he managed a
short, but appropriate sermon as well as the legal bits.
Brenda
On 24 Aug 2006, at 16:21, Spud Islander wrote:
When our daughter married (in Canada) she elected to keep her
surname (Pate) and her husband kept his (Murphy). She said the
priest was a bit flummoxed as to how to make the introduction after
the ceremony as his usual words were *I present to you, Mr. and
Mrs. X* <g> He changed the wording somehow to *our newly wedded
couple.... using first names only* :)
Brenda
http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.uk/
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