Dan and I just returned home from the last of three weddings for 2016. We unfortunately had to decline a few other invitations this year due to scheduling conflicts and our budget.
I have always loved weddings. As a little girl, I even attended weddings for couples I didn’t know. (Obviously they were friends or family members or business associates of my parents). I loved the fancy clothes and the beautiful music and the finger food.
After every single wedding, I would chatter nonstop about what I wanted in a wedding one day. As a bride, I didn’t quite fulfill my childhood declaration of a rainbow-colored dress, but I did end up wearing a lot of pink on my wedding day!
But weddings are about more than just the details for pretty pictures. Regardless of religious belief, a wedding symbolizes the union of two people. For Dan and me, we truly valued pledging a formal vow to each other in front of our families.
As a single adult, I certainly appreciated weddings more than I did as a child. I genuinely loved watching each new proclamation of forever love. My friends were always so blissfully happy with contagious joy.
As a married adult, however, I feel new feelings at weddings.
In fact, these feelings make my marriage stronger!
3 Reasons Why Attending Weddings
is Good for Your Marriage
Reaffirm the sanctity of marriage
As a Christian, I think marriage is a sacred union of two people. However, you don’t have to be religious to value the unique relationship that is marriage. There’s just something special about two people who formally commit their lives to each other.
Watching two people make their wedding vows just reminds me of how precious marriage should be.
Reconnect with a supportive community
This past weekend, the minister did something a little different that reminded me of the community aspect of marriage. After the bride and groom said their vows, the minister asked the guests to give our own vow to support this couple in their marriage. I absolutely love that she included this in the ceremony!
Every wedding is (hopefully) filled with guests who support not just the couple getting married, but marriage as an institution. Attending weddings reminds us that we aren’t alone in our marriage. We are part of a community of people who value marriage.
Remember your own wedding
My wedding day was the happiest day of my life. More than two years later, I still look at our wedding photos almost every week! Whenever Dan and I attend a wedding together, I can’t help but reflect back on our own.
I don’t just remember how handsome Dan looked, or the absence of our pianist. I remember the vows we made to each other, and why. I remember how joyful I felt standing with Dan, in front of our families, officially becoming husband and wife.
Bonus: weddings are great date nights!
If nothing else, a wedding makes for a great date night! Who doesn’t want to eat good food, drink good wine, and dance the night away?
I’m a little sad that wedding season has ended for Dan and me this year, although I’m looking forward to more time at home. Maybe I’ll make up for the lack of weddings in my life with a few more wedding-themed blog posts over the next few months!
How do you feel about weddings?
