The unity in the committee is so great that even the Social Democrats, including the priest who motioned to stop the bride delivery, have signed.
The proposal that will be presented to the church assembly instead deals with creating in-depth material on church and wedding to increase knowledge among priests and couples.
Sara Waldenfors, who is a priest in Nylöse parish, wrote the motion. She is pleased with what the committee has come up with.
I think it's the democratic process that's so wonderful here, that we've worked together to come up with this and landed on something common, she says to Dagen.
Patriarchal tradition
The criticism of bride delivery, where the bride's father leads her to the altar and hands her over to the groom, has been that it's a patriarchal tradition that clashes with the Swedish Church's gender equality work.
Others think it's up to the couple themselves how they want to shape their wedding and that it's a fine tradition.
The Swedish tradition is for the couple to walk together down the aisle to show both parties' willingness. It's often said that bride delivery is an Anglo-Saxon phenomenon that came here via films, but in older Swedish literature, there are several examples of bride delivery.
Sparked debate
The issue has sparked debate in waves, perhaps most notably at Crown Princess Victoria's wedding to Prince Daniel in 2010. She wanted her father to hand her over – something the then Archbishop Anders Wejryd advised against. Several priests within the Swedish Church also raised their voices against bride delivery.
King Carl Gustaf led his eldest daughter up the aisle and three years later also his youngest, Princess Madeleine. In 2015, Princess Sofia's father led her to the groom, Prince Carl Philip.
