Four Amish Wedding Songs

In some Amish communities, such as Lancaster County, the traditional wedding season is the autumn months following harvest, spanning from late October, through November, and into December. In other communities (and for that matter, in Lancaster County as well), that tradition has given way to weddings happening at other times of the year, such as May or June.

But with the traditional wedding season arriving, I’ll share with you four recordings of Amish wedding songs. Three are just audio, while one has some video. The first was recorded in the Arthur, Illinois community. Of this song, commenter Peg Erb writes:

Born and raised Amish… my husband and I left in our early 20s, soon after our marriage. This song was sung at our wedding and that of so many others before us- and all of them after us, I’m sure. It was always the last “Lied” (hymn) as the bridal procession exited the ceremony.

This particular hymn resonates with a lot of people. Several Amish-raised commenters share how they appreciate this song.

For instance, someone from northern Indiana writes: “This was a favorite of mine as a child, just listening to it brought back floods of memories, I wish I could hear it more often!!” Another named Sylvia Swartzentruber shares: “wow this was my favorite song, they sang it at our wedding…brought back a lot of memories.”

The person who recorded this, Ed Yoder, also grew up Amish, and shares the words and English translation:

Gelobt Sei Gott im höchsten Thron,
Der uns hat auserkoren,
Hat uns ein schönen Rok antan,
Das wir sein neugeboren.

Das ist das recht hochzeitlich Kleid,
Damit Gott Sein Volk zieret,
Die Hochzeit des Lamms ist schon bereit,
Die Frommen drauf zu führen.

Freut euch, ihr lieben Christen all
Das euch Gott hat ang’nommen,
Und euch bereit ein’n schönen Saal,
Darein wir sollen kommen,

Translation (This is a paraphrase and is not necessarily verbatim):

Praised be God in the highest throne
who has chosen us
Has put a beautiful garment on us
That we would be newborn.

This is the proper wedding garment
With which God adorns his people
The wedding of the Lamb is already prepared
For the pious to lead the way to.

Rejoice, all loving Christians
That God has received you
And prepared a beautiful ballroom for you
In which we shall come

The second recording was made in the Garnett, Kansas Amish settlement. This was also described as the last song sung, and is the same song as above, but is a cleaner recording.

In Why The Amish Sing, D. Rose Elder explains that the typical wedding ceremony has a total of four Ausbund hymns. The first singing would be verses from Ausbund hymn 69, “He’s Taking A Wife.” The second song, as in any Amish church service, is the Loblied.

The third occasion for singing, coming later in the ceremony, would be the fourth verse of Ausbund hymn 378. The final hymn would be this Gelobt sei Gott, Ausbund hymn 712. There is some additional singing to supplement these songs, and I would imagine there may be some differences across communities as well, as with most things Amish.

This next song is from a wedding reception, recorded last May. I don’t know the song, nor the exact community, but it is described as being from a settlement in northwest Pennsylvania. You can see the women’s dress in the attached video, recorded in the basement at some distance from the singers.

Finally, how about something quite different. This is not a church hymn, but a tune by John Schmid, an artist popular among Amish. Here he sings the light and fun song “An Amish Wedding”. I guarantee you’ll chuckle, or at the least crack a smile.