Guide (With Scripts) To Including A Foot Washing Ceremony In Your Wedding

The traditional wedding ceremony simply involves an exchange of vows at the altar, but if you would like to make your wedding more unique and personalized to you, there are many different kinds of smaller ceremonies you can incorporate into the larger ceremony. 

One traditional Christian ceremony that is making a comeback is the tradition of foot washing.

While this may sound strange if you’ve never heard of it before, this ceremony is loaded with symbolic meaning, and if you’re of the Christian faith, it’s a powerful way to express your devotion to God on your wedding day.

As part of a Christian foot washing ceremony, the couple takes turns to wash their partner’s feet. It is a reference to the Bible and to many of the qualities of Jesus Christ Himself. 

Incorporating a foot washing ceremony in your wedding is a beautiful way to deepen your connection with your partner and add a meaningful ritual to your special day. With our guide and script examples, you’ll have everything you need to create a memorable and heartfelt ceremony.

If you are interested in learning how to include a foot washing ceremony in your wedding, you’re in the right place. We’ll be walking you through what you need to know and even including some script examples that you might want to borrow for the ceremony. 

What Is Foot Washing All About?

If you’ve never come across the concept of a foot washing ceremony at a wedding, it might seem a little ‘out there’. However, assuming you and/or your partner are of the Christian faith, it’s actually a very powerful and meaningful ritual to include in your wedding. 

The idea of you and your partner washing each other’s feet at your wedding actually comes directly from the Bible. Specifically, it is drawn from the teachings of Jesus Christ. 

If you turn to John 13: 1-17 in the Bible, you will find the passage where Jesus lovingly washes the feet of His disciples. In this Bible verse, Jesus tells the disciples that even though they consider Him their master, he is no more important than they are.

To demonstrate that Jesus saw Himself as an equal to His disciples, he proceeded to wash their feet – including Judas, even though Jesus was already aware of the impending betrayal. 

Ultimately, foot washing is about humility, equality, loyalty, devotion, and above all, love. In washing the feet of His disciples, Jesus showed them that He loved them and did not consider himself superior to them.

This is what you and your partner will be demonstrating to one another (and declaring to God as well as your guests) if you choose to wash one another’s feet during your wedding ceremony. 

Here are just some of the things that a foot washing ceremony can communicate to your partner and to those present on your wedding day: 

• That you love your partner 
• That you are devoted to helping and caring for your partner 
• That you consider your partner to be your equal 
• That you respect your partner 

Of course, your partner will also be communicating all of these things to you in return as they wash your feet. 

Additionally, because it is traditional for the partner washing the feet to kneel during this part of the ceremony, there is prayerful symbolism involved. Not only are you kneeling before your partner but you are kneeling before God, displaying your humility, devotion, and reverence.

Wedding Foot Washing Ceremony: To-Do List 

If, having read the meanings of a foot washing ceremony, you feel that you would like to include this as part of your wedding, you’ll need to make some preparations. 

Washing each other’s feet might sound easy enough in theory, but you will need the necessary tools and you’ll also need to make sure that you allow enough time to conduct the ceremony in a way that is meaningful and not rushed. 

Here’s what you should do before the big day to prepare: 

1. Inform The Officiant 

The first person who needs to know if you’re planning on holding a foot washing ceremony at your wedding is the officiant. After all, your officiant will be leading you and everyone else through the ceremony, so this isn’t something you can just spring on them at the last minute! 

As soon as you have decided to hold a foot washing ceremony at your wedding, contact your officiant and let them know.

This will ensure that they can have a speech prepared in advance to announce the ceremony (see our example scripts below) and that they can make sure to make time during the ceremony for the foot washing. 

The later you let your officiant know that you want to include foot washing in your ceremony, the more difficult it will be to shift things around and make sure there’s enough time.

That’s why it’s important to start thinking about what you want your wedding ceremony to look like as early as possible so that no drastic changes need to be made near the big day. 

2. Decide On The Timeline 

Speaking of making time, while it’s the officiant’s job to make sure other aspects of the ceremony don’t run over to leave time for the foot washing, it’s up to you to decide when during your ceremony you want the foot washing to take place. 

Most people will choose to include it right before they are pronounced man and wife, but you can always do it after, which is a lovely way to start off your life as an officially married couple. 

It’s entirely up to you when you want the foot washing to take place, but you need to ensure that it fits in with other aspects of the ceremony and that you let the officiant know this beforehand. 

3. Get Your Materials Ready

A foot washing ceremony isn’t something you can just decide to do on the spot. You need to have the correct materials to make sure it goes smoothly. 

Of course, you’re going to need a basin to hold the water. You’ll also need a pitcher, which should be filled with water prior to the ceremony. This is what you’ll use to pour the water over each other’s feet, and the basin will catch it as you do so.

You may also want to use a sponge to wash your partner’s feet, but this isn’t necessary. It just depends on how extensive you want the actual washing to be. 

Ideally, you’ll also want to have a chair that you and your partner can take turns sitting in. This way, you won’t be awkwardly balancing or having to sit on the floor. 

Once the feet have been washed, they will need to be dried so that you can both go into the rest of your wedding with your shoes on, so make sure you have towels ready. 

4. Plan Some Music Or A Reading 

A lot of people don’t think about this beforehand, but from the perspective of the guests, it can be a little awkward to wash two people washing each other’s feet with silence in the background. 

For this reason, we recommend thinking of a gentle piece of music or even an appropriate Bible passage to be played or read during the foot washing ceremony. 

You may wish to say a prayer before or after foot washing at your wedding. Alternatively, your officiant can read a prayer of your choice during the ceremony. 

You can choose any prayer that you feel is appropriate, but there are several prayers that have been written specifically for the purposes of foot washing ceremonies which you may like to use. 

5. Book In With A Pedicurist 

Everyone wants to look and feel their best on their wedding day, so manicures and pedicures often feature in pre-wedding preparation.

However, if you’re going to have a foot washing ceremony at your wedding, it’s really important to make sure that your feet are in good condition before the big day. 

The best thing to do is to book in with a pedicurist the day before your wedding to make sure that your feet are clean and smooth and that your toenails are trimmed before the ceremony.

This is an act of courtesy for your partner, who will be the one washing your feet, and it also means that you can fully focus on the symbolic moment without worrying about what kind of state your feet are in! 

Scripts For Your Foot Washing Ceremony 

Example Script #1 

“Bride and Groom have chosen to uphold the tradition of foot washing at this point in the ceremony. 

A foot washing ceremony, for those who are not familiar with the practice, is a symbolic act of devotion, equality, and love between a couple.

It is a beautiful tradition drawn from the teachings of Christ as in John 13: 12-17, and it is intended to represent the spirit in which Bride and Groom go forth into their life together. 

The Bride and Groom will now wash one another’s feet, and in doing so, they promise to respect and love one another throughout their lives with humility and mutual devotion.”

Example Script #2 

“Having been pronounced as husband and wife, Groom and Bride will now wash one another’s feet. 

The tradition of foot washing is one that is no longer as common as it once was, but it no less meaningful in the eyes of the Lord. 

When Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 13: 12-17, having washed each of their feet in turn, he said to them: ‘No servant is greater than this master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.’ 

With this foot washing ceremony, Bride and Groom carry the blessing of Jesus Christ into their married life, proclaiming their love and devotion to each other as well as their mutual respect and their commitment, not only to one another but to God.”

Example Script #3 

As we all know, marriage is a deep and binding commitment. Not only should it be based on everlasting love, but also on respect, loyalty, humility, and devotion. One of the traditions that best exemplifies the qualities of a good marriage is the foot washing ceremony. 

Some of you may not be familiar with this type of ceremony. As its name suggests, it involves the washing of each spouse’s feet by the other, symbolizing care and love as well as respect. 

As Bride and Groom kneel before one another today and wash each other’s feet, they also kneel before our Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father to declare their devotion. 

In washing each other’s feet, Groom and Bride embody the teachings of Christ, who washed the feet of His disciples in John 13: 1-17, and in so doing, declared Himself their equal. Thus, they strengthen their relationship as equal partners and as believers in Jesus Christ.”

Check out 21 Most Creative Wedding Themes for more ideas.

Final Thoughts 

A foot washing ceremony is a beautiful and symbolic ritual to include in your wedding. If you and your future spouse are Christians, the tradition carries additional meaning since it is directly linked to the teachings of Jesus, who advocated for equality and humility. 

If you would like to have a foot washing ceremony at your wedding, let your officiant know as soon as possible to make sure it fits into the timeline, and make a list of the materials you will need.

Plan background music, a reading or a prayer, and definitely get a pedicure close to your wedding day. Feel free to use any of the scripts in this article for your foot washing ceremony.