Call me old-fashioned, but I (Janean) feel strongly that a bride should wear a veil over her face on her wedding day. It’s a stunning moment to see her newly crowned husband uncover her by lifting her veil and kiss her for the very first time as a husband and wife. Most likely, it’s because I’m a Christian Sex Therapist. For me, there’s something about lifting her veil that symbolizes that he has God’s sanction and blessing to fully enter her soul, spirit, and body becoming “one-flesh” in its entirety.
A Veil is the Symbol of Purity
The definition of a veil is to cover or to obscure, so perhaps that’s why it came into use during a wedding ceremony. In the 19th century, the veil was a symbol of purity, and it was a sign of honor for the bride to wear a veil to compliment her attire because she remained chaste until her wedding day. It can also be a symbol that the bride uses to cover herself as they exchange their vows. Her husband is given the first honor to see his wife’s beauty unobscured when he uncovers her the first time.
It reflects what will happen later on when they consummate their wedding vows behind closed doors on their wedding night. The Lord gazes upon the couple and sanctifies and affirms their lovemaking. Her new husband will discover her completely and make love to her bringing her whole body alive. Just as the two become one through the vows they took earlier, so the veil is the sign of being naked and unashamed before their Lord and their spouse.
Many Uses of the Veil
A nun’s veil is also a symbolic reference of her consecration to Christ. In the same way, the Christian bride consecrated herself to Christ and is now entering into marriage with her earthly husband who is a picture of Christ.” In the same way, the believer’s baptism symbolizes our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. As a person comes up out of the water, they are dying to their previous dead life and beginning their new life with Christ. And so it is the same as the bride.
When Rebekah was presented to Isaac for the first time before she became his wife in Genesis 24:65, she covers herself with her veil so he cannot see her. She didn’t veil herself when she was traveling to meet him, but only when he is approaching. After meeting her he then brings her into his mother’s tent, uncovers her, and she became his wife. She was a comfort to him after the death of his mother. Scripture says he loved her. Yes, there’s something about love deepening when the two become one flesh.
Dr. Daniel Amen wrote, “Don’t have sex with anyone you don’t want to fall in love with.”
When Moses came down from the mountain after experiencing God’s presence or Shekinah Glory, he covered his face with a veil because his face was so bright that the people could not look into his face. With pride, he continued to wear a veil so the Israelites couldn’t see God’s glory fading away. When Christ removes the veil over an unbeliever’s heart they suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence with nothing between them. The wedding veil is also a symbol of our heavenly Bridegroom who will one day come for us, and we will finally see Him face to face in heaven.
A Jewish Tradition
In the Jewish tradition, the bride wears a veil to cover the divine light, or the Shekinah glory radiating from her. It’s interesting to note that the Shekinah is the female aspect of God, most likely because it denotes God’s glorious beauty. It is believed that the bride and groom are in a holy state, and nearer to God during their wedding ceremony. Her veil covers the divine light proceeding from her, so this kind of sacred light or holiness needs privacy. In ancient Israel, the lifting of the veil took place in the bedroom chamber just prior to their lovemaking. The bride’s beauty was to be revealed for the first time to him alone.
You may be able to recall in reading about the Shekinah Glory where we wrote about the husband being the one man chosen by God to remove his wife’s veil and enter the holy of holies (his wife’s body).https://www.christianintimacyexperts.com/intimacy/spiritual/shekinah-glory-intimacy/
Everything in the Jewish temple is holy; the chalices, the bowls as well as the veil that divided the inner sanctuary or the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was placed. This veil in the temple was torn down the moment Jesus died on the cross and redeemed sin. Now there is no longer any separation between a believer and God.
Sacred, Holy, and Life-giving
Just as the temple and all its accompaniments were sacred to the Jewish people, so the wife’s body is to her husband. Only women can receive his life-giving semen and unite with her egg, and shelter a baby in their womb thereby giving life to another divine soul. Not even the angels can do that! Since a woman’s body is holy, it should be adorned as such. There’s a reason people stand in honor when the bride walks down the aisle. Her splendor is never more glorious than when she is a bride dressed in all her glory being presented to her groom. No wonder little girls dream of their wedding day.
Bill’s personal reflection of the wedding day. There were so many wonderful and inspiring moments that took place on our wedding day, the personalized vows, the first dance, lighting the candles, praying for each of our kids as the first official act after the I Do’s but the most memorable was right before Janean walked down the aisle. She had just finished singing me a song. I could not have been filled with more love and adoration. As I gazed down the aisle again at my beautiful bride to be I noticed that her face was veiled. Wow, the anticipation, the mystery, the hidden beauty, all this walking towards me and about to be revealed to me, only me. That was an exhilarating moment and still remains a very somber memory that reminds me of the sacred and holy commitment of marriage.
And finally, the veil is a representation of the hymen: a membrane that will most likely be removed by her earthly husband during her first sexual intercourse experience. He can now enter his wife with no barriers between them. Whatever is sacred and holy is veiled.
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