The consensus in the committee is so great that even the Social Democrats, including the church dignitary who motioned to stop the handover of the bride, signed.
The proposal that will be presented to the church meeting is instead about producing in-depth material about the church and marriage to increase knowledge among priests and brides and grooms.
Sara Waldenfors, who is vicar in Nylöse pastorate, wrote the motion. She is satisfied with what the committee has arrived at.
I think it is the democratic process that is so wonderful here, that we have worked together to develop this and landed in something common, she tells Dagen.
Patriarchal tradition
The criticism against bride handover, where the bride’s father leads the daughter to the altar and hands her over to the groom, has been that it is a patriarchal tradition that rhymes badly with the Church of Sweden’s gender equality work.
Others think that it is up to the bride and groom themselves how they want to design their wedding and that it is a nice tradition.
The Swedish tradition is for the bride and groom to walk down the aisle together to show their willingness. It is often said that bride handover is an Anglo-Saxon phenomenon that came here via movies, but in older Swedish literature there are several examples of bride handover.
Raised debate
The subject has sparked debate in rounds, perhaps mainly at Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding to Prince Daniel in 2010. She wanted her father to hand her over – something the then Archbishop Anders Wejryd advised against. Several priests within the Church of Sweden also raised their voices against the handover of the bride.
King Carl Gustaf led his eldest daughter up the aisle and three years later also his youngest, Princess Madeleine. In 2015, Princess Sofia’s father led her to groom Prince Carl Philip.