Question: I've been invited to a religious wedding, but I'm not religious.
Answer: My friend is getting married in a religious ceremony, but I haven't ever been to a church/mosque/synagogue. Do I have to believe in that religion to attend? Do I have to cover my arms/head/legs?
If you've been invited to a ceremony, you can safely assume that you don't have to be a member of the faith to attend. (For example, typical Mormon weddings are not open to non-Mormons, but they would not invite non-Mormons in the first place.) You don't have to participate in any part that you don't believe in - such as kneeling when it's time to pray, standing and singing hymns, etc. Simply sit quietly as others observe their religion. Your primary purpose of being at the wedding is to support the couple's love and relationship. As far as covering parts of your body, that varies for each religion. For women wearing a sleeveless dress, it's generally a good idea to bring a wrap of some kind for a religious wedding- you can also drape it over your head, if necessary.
If you are attending a Muslim wedding, the following text from muslim-canada.org should be helpful: For non-Muslim guests, the Islamic dress code does not apply in the same way that it applies to Muslim adherents. However, as a matter of courtesy and deference to the social/cultural norms of the hosts, the guests might be well advised to avoid exposing their arms and legs in a fashion that is normal in our modern-day western society. In fact, it would actually be more offensive for a female guest to wear a low-cut top and mini-skirt than anything else. As for the headscarf (commonly referred to as Hijab) many European ladies are used to wearing it. I think that most Muslim hosts will generally be found to be tolerant enough to accommodate non-Muslim ladies appearing without headscarfs. Actually it would be considered quite thoughtful and respectful for the lady guests to don a headscarf, particularly when they are being admitted into places like mosques etc. In this connection, one important thing to remember is that footwear must be removed before entering such places, although these days, if you are attending ceremonies in places like banquet halls, where people do not sit on the floor, you may wear shoes.
If you've been invited to a ceremony, you can safely assume that you don't have to be a member of the faith to attend. (For example, typical Mormon weddings are not open to non-Mormons, but they would not invite non-Mormons in the first place.) You don't have to participate in any part that you don't believe in - such as kneeling when it's time to pray, standing and singing hymns, etc. Simply sit quietly as others observe their religion. Your primary purpose of being at the wedding is to support the couple's love and relationship. As far as covering parts of your body, that varies for each religion. For women wearing a sleeveless dress, it's generally a good idea to bring a wrap of some kind for a religious wedding- you can also drape it over your head, if necessary.
If you are attending a Muslim wedding, the following text from muslim-canada.org should be helpful: For non-Muslim guests, the Islamic dress code does not apply in the same way that it applies to Muslim adherents. However, as a matter of courtesy and deference to the social/cultural norms of the hosts, the guests might be well advised to avoid exposing their arms and legs in a fashion that is normal in our modern-day western society. In fact, it would actually be more offensive for a female guest to wear a low-cut top and mini-skirt than anything else. As for the headscarf (commonly referred to as Hijab) many European ladies are used to wearing it. I think that most Muslim hosts will generally be found to be tolerant enough to accommodate non-Muslim ladies appearing without headscarfs. Actually it would be considered quite thoughtful and respectful for the lady guests to don a headscarf, particularly when they are being admitted into places like mosques etc. In this connection, one important thing to remember is that footwear must be removed before entering such places, although these days, if you are attending ceremonies in places like banquet halls, where people do not sit on the floor, you may wear shoes.
