WARNING: Let's start this whole post out by saying I'm weird. I do and say weird things. I live my life in a relatively weird way. Oh and also, this post is probably going to offend you (Especially if you're a woman). Ok, let's get to it.
I'm pro-marriage... I just don't know if I'm pro-wedding.
Throughout my 27 years I've seen many marriages crumble. So many that I can't recall them all. Sometimes the marriages seemed strong, and other times I saw it coming. I've seen friend's and family member's marriages fall apart. I've seen multiple Reality student's lives torn through divorce. In every case my heart breaks. I still have a friend who I get sad about from time to time. They didn't just divorce their spouse, they divorced their life and started a new one.
I haven't experienced divorce first hand, and I know divorce is incredibly tough. I have another friend who, rightly so, tells me I have no idea how tough divorce it. I don't.
In most of these cases there was a big wedding that accompanied each marriage. People were gathered at great expense to celebrate the union of a man and a woman, but the majesty of the weddings never transfered to the marriages.
It's gotten to the point where I'm nervous about going to weddings (Or performing them for that matter). Statistics show that out of every two weddings I attend one of them is going to end in divorce.
So this is what I propose. Let's celebrate after a couple has been married for five years. I told you it's weird, and I know this is not a Biblical model, but honestly our weddings are very little like Biblical ones anyway. So to review, people would still get married. There would be a pastor, witnesses, and the couple. But they wouldn't have a big shindig on the marriage day. Maybe it could be a very small family event.
Understand, I loved my wedding. My wife did a FANTASTIC job in planning it. It was beautiful, and I wouldn't trade it for the world, but if I could go back in time and suggest this to myself I would. Honestly, the only person at my wedding that knew we were going to stay together for at least five years was God. And by His grace we're working on year seven.
This may solve the problem of girls getting married for a wedding... I'm still thinking about how to solve the problem of guys getting married for the sex ;) (wait 5 years for that too? ha ha.) I'll get back to you on that later. But anyway, what do you think, do you think it could catch on?