Which side should a man stand on from his wife

[James924]

I’m getting a prayer kneeler for my fiancee as a wedding gift next month. A wonderful home business called Kneelers by Ted offers to engrave our respective devotions on our respective halves of the arm rest.

So from a position kneeling and facing forward, what side should be the husband’s? Does it matter?

Thanks in advance.

 

[PatriceA]

I don’t know how much it matters, that here is definite teachings about this subject, but I would think it would be based on the wedding ceremony itself. Facing the altar, the bride is on the left side and the groom is on the right.

 

[cecilia97]

Lady on the left, traditionally, but not because of any Church reason. This comes from the days when men wore swords, usually on their left hip so they could reach them quickly with their right hands. So, the left arm was free for escorting a woman companion.

p.s, I think the prayer kneeler idea is a LOVELY wedding gift!

 

[James924]

Thank you both! Just what I needed.
God bless

 

[ac_claire]

When I got married in November, when we knelt for the blessing I was on the left and my husband was on the right.

 

[miamijoe]

I’ve also heard that it’s Man closest to the road because “back in the day” when people were throwing out their trash from upper floors of buildings it would not hit the lady on the head as she was nearer the building or something like that. Anyone else heard of this? I think it comes from mideval times?

 

[Digitonomy]

At one nearby church, the priest generally conducts masses with the groom on the left. The reason seems to be that the sacristy is to the left, so the groom and best man can wait and then process from near where the priest vests. Meanwhile, a much bigger space is available to the right, so the bride can prepare in that area before processing from the back.

I’ve also heard that it’s Man closest to the road because “back in the day” when people were throwing out their trash from upper floors of buildings it would not hit the lady on the head as she was nearer the building or something like that. Anyone else heard of this? I think it comes from mideval times?

Hmmm… I’m not sure what the throwing tradition was for upper floors of buildings, but I would think a lot of it went more or less straight down. Even if it was customary to toss it as far as possible into the street, I imagine a lot of fairly frail people were doing this, and probably couldn’t get much distance.

I had always heard it was an issue of safety from the street - if a car, horse, or wagon loses control or strays too close to the pedestrians, the man can push the woman out of the way and sacrifice himself. You do raise what is probably a valid point about the cleanliness of the sidewalk at different points - people often swept the steps or walks in front of their businesses, whereas the street would have been muddy and full of manure.