No kiss during ceremony? Lutheran wedding.

It might be the couple’s personal preference if they are shy of “onstage” PDA.

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Apparently it's church policy. No one at that church has it in their wedding. Probably should have included that in the OP, since your guess is more logical to me than a church-wide ban.

It could have been the choice of the couple. Some see kissing as an intimate gesture that shouldn't be done in front of others or they just didn't feel comfortable kissing in front of anyone with a big announcement.

Someone correct me, but I'm pretty sure most traditional Indian weddings end the same way: without a kiss.

That’s specific to their wedding. Ours is in a Lutheran Church and there will be a kiss. Every church ceremony I’ve gone to there’s a kiss.
It’s not a Lutheran thing, it’s something just from that church.

View Quoted Comment That's really interesting. I wonder what the actual reasoning for it is? And how did they end the ceremony? Did they just walk back down the aisle to music?

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That's what we want to know- why? It seems like, as I suspected, it was a church-specific thing, not a general Lutheran denomination thing. But no one could tell us why- not even the groom, beyond just "Pastor doesn't do that". I'm guessing I won't find answers here, because it's probably not a common thing, but I figured I'd try.

The ceremony started with some hymns/prayers/readings/sermon. Then there were the very traditional intent statements, vows, and rings. After the rings there were a couple more hymns sung and then some more prayers, then they walked down. No one clapped either, which was also really weird.

My sister got married in a Catholic church, and same thing, no kiss or pronouncement. I told her later that I thought it was weird, but she didn't seem to care. Se said it was never something they discussed, the priest just didn't do it and they carried on.

I can't imagine why the church would prohibit it.

I am having a Lutheran wedding and there will be a kiss!
Maybe it is the specific denomination of the church or the pastor didn't like it.

I wonder if they had already secretly married, and this was really a vow renewal. Wouldn't explain the kiss, but maybe that's why there was no pronouncement.

View Quoted Comment I'm Lutheran too and have never been to a wedding where they don't kiss..

It’s not a Lutheran thing. I have been to weddings where they didn’t actually say “you may now kiss the bride” and instead they just kiss. (Which is usually awkward because they’re not sure if it’s time etc) so I’d assume that’s what happened and they just didn’t do it. Although at that point I’d think the pastor would remind them. But idk maybe they don’t like PDA?

I was raised luthren .. my church always had a kiss. . I find it weird that theirs did not

Also raised Lutheran, have attended many Lutheran weddings (and I'm from one of the most conservative Synods), and there is always a kiss and a pronouncement. And clapping (although short and not very loud lol). That's very strange to me. And in the Lutheran Church in general, they are supposed to follow specific scripts according to their synod and individual districts dictates, so the Pastor can't (or shouldn't) act in a way against those. Of course they can personalize ceremonies, but to ban a kiss would be very unusual.

I'm not sure about the Lutheran faith but Catholics do not pronounce the couple as man and wife because the priest or deacon do not actually marry them, they marry each other through mutual consent with their vows.

Every wedding I have been to, has been Catholic and there has always been a kiss. They say their vows and are 'married' but they don't kiss until much later.

It's so different from TV weddings(vows, pronouncement and kiss) that I found it slightly anti-climatic the first time.

So sounds like it was just something strange about that specific church. That's kind of what we figured. It just seems like a really strange thing to ban. They're definitely not anti-physical affection because everyone prayed for the brides womb to be like a fruitful vine at the start of the ceremony, so physical affection is definitely ok once you're married.

It could be church policy or an Pastor Policy. My first wedding we did not kiss at the alter as the pastor had seen one too many make out sessions, lol. I did not really care (it was a Lutheran church, btw) and I think it is the norm in Lutheran Churches to seal it with a kiss.

This time - no religion and yes we are kissing!!!

I know you already found the answer, if not the reason, but since you asked about other religions:
I'm a southern Baptist and we kiss at weddings

Definitely not a Lutheran thing. I was raised Lutheran and have been to MANY Lutheran weddings. All of them included he first kiss. My parents even have a picture of theirs in their wedding album.