Dave Boehi of Family Life ministries had this to say in his March 2 Marriage Memo, “Here’s a paradox: Recent studies show that married couples who had weddings with a large number of guests are more likely to stay married. At the same time, couples with expensive weddings are at a greater risk for divorce.” SEE the full blog here.
I certainly can support these finding based on experience. Those couples that are more interested in having an over-the-top impressive wedding than they are in focusing on God’s way for marriage are going to have trouble. It doesn’t cost ANYTHING to have God present to bless your marriage. He loves to come and bless you with His free gifts. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a nice wedding, but that should NOT be the focus. The problem is that we fall into the danger warned about in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The more you start to spend on a wedding, the more all of those details start to consume your attention … and draw your eyes away from Jesus.
Photo by Nom & Malc
Concerning the number of guests … that’s really not important either. The husband and wife in the presence of God is what matters most. Inviting a bunch of people you hardly know out of obligation or to impress them is probably not going to increase the survival odds of that union. Rather, it will just inflate the price tag. But, having a number of family and friends present who will pray for and encourage the couple to live out their marriage in God’s way WILL have long-term benefits. And, wise planning can allow for a large number of such supportive guests without a huge price tag.
When it comes to wedding planning … keep it simple and don’t go crazy with spending, but, invite lots of supportive Christian friends who are eager to be there to support you and not to just suck up your money in some extravagant party. Helpful insights to starting out a married life in God’s way.