“The Double Ceremony”

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

I have recently become engaged; we were planning on a March wedding.  Since I have never been married before and am almost fifty years of age, I want the fairy tale... the problem is work and bills right now.  Would it be wrong to get married privately and have a mock ceremony later with family and friends?  Would this matter in God’s eyes?

Sincerely,
The Blushing Bride

Dear The Blushing Bride,

Congratulations on your engagement!  As long as you aren’t deceiving people by having a mock ceremony later (in other words, everyone knows you were married privately beforehand), then you are perfectly fine.  God deeply cares about the institution of marriage (Matt 19:4-6), but He leaves the details of the wedding ceremony to individual taste.  Wedding details are molded by culture, the personality of couple, financial restraints, and dozens of other factors.  If you and your fiancée decide to have a small private wedding and then later renew your vows in a larger venue – more power to you.  Place God in the center of your marriage, and all the rest will just be details.

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