How to Make Your Wedding Day The Best Day of Your Life
A good friend recently challenged me concerning the way we (Watermark staff and I) think about weddings. Often pastors/churches don’t love to officiate weddings because of the time they take away from family, the increasing extravagance of wedding days, and a hesitation of not wanting responsibility for marrying a couple.
In the process, we miss out on an incredible opportunity of preparing couples for marriage and a home run opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. As a result, we want to improve in the way we talk about the wedding day and celebrate the wedding, not just the marriage preparation.
In order to help Merge couples better prepare for the wedding day, the most recent Merge Late Night focused on the topic of wedding planning, communication with family, budgets, decision-making, and much more. This is part one in a series of posts on some takeaways from our time together.
If you’re already married, don’t disregard the rest of the post - I think these posts will encourage and remind you of your own wedding day.
If you’re premarried, soak up some of the wisdom shared by others in these posts.
My favorite question/statement that came in for our panel was, “What do you remember most from your wedding day? I’m hoping it's not those center pieces that caused all the stress.”
I love this question/statement: in the midst of questions about crazy in-laws, budgets, and decision-making came a question that allowed the panel to reflect back on what they remembered most from their wedding day. Below are the responses from each member of our panel.
1. Worlds Collide: “The excitement of all the people who made the effort to be there on our wedding day. It was amazing! Friends, family, co-workers and more, all together in one room to celebrate the Lord’s work in our lives!” It’s really surreal and humbling when you realize this truth.
2. The First Look: Getting to see my spouse for the first time. Whether you did a traditional first look when the bride walks down the aisle and the bride and groom see each other for the first time, or a pre-ceremony first look, all on the panel agreed this was one of the most memorable parts of the wedding day.
Two of the panel members talked about how fun it was to have time together before the chaos of the ceremony. Another member of the panel said the pre-ceremony first look helped bring some peace in the midst of anxiety. Others enjoyed the traditional first look when the doors open, the bride enters the chapel, and bride and groom lock eyes for the first time.
3. First dance: Whether you can dance or not, most couples love this time on the dance floor. You will think of your wedding day every time you hear your “song” for the rest of your lives.
4. Rehearsal Dinner: Many agreed this was one of the highlights of the wedding weekend. Smaller numbers, more intimate and personal, and who doesn’t love encouraging and embarrassing speeches by friends and family! Several on the panel spoke to how special the rehearsal dinner was for them and their families.
5. Sharing vows: This was my response. Kristen and I wrote our own vows, and I loved the moment when we turned and looked into each others eyes for the first time on our wedding day. We locked eyes as we read very personal and significant vows and promises to one another.
I love the way Tim Keller talks about wedding vows in The Meaning of Marriage: “Wedding vows are not a declaration of present love but a mutually binding promise of future love. A wedding should not be primarily a celebration of how loving you feel now – that can safely be assumed. Rather, in a wedding you stand up before God, your family, and all the main institutions of society, and you promise to be loving, faithful, and true to the other person in the future, regardless of internal feelings or external circumstances.”
6. Most importantly... In order for your wedding day to to be The Best Day of Your Life: Be married well to Christ and marry the right person (See Ephesians 5:21-33).
Bonus Word of wisdom: If possible, leave for your honeymoon as late as possible the day after your wedding, or even wait until Monday. We enjoyed getting to sleep-in the morning after our wedding, hang out with friends and family the day after, and getting to spend a night in our new house together for the first time on Sunday night all before we left for our honeymoon.
In Part 2, I will share the responses from another question: What do you regret or what things you would do differently on your wedding day/preparation looking back?
Your Turn (Please share in the comments section!):
For the Marrieds: What do you remember most from your wedding day? What was the highlight of the wedding day/weekend?
For the Premarrieds: What is your greatest hope for your wedding day?