What are the prerequisites for a church wedding
What you need to know:
- First, engage a couple to mentor you, which is different from a best couple. It should be an older couple who should walk with you before you say “I do”.
- Second, get your parents’ blessings, but not necessarily approval. Some parents deny their children permission to marry a particular person because of race, tribe, or status.
- Third, enrol in a premarital class. This class will give you support, teach you the principles of marriage, and expose you to current trends in relationships and marriage.
Hello,
I am 28 and preparing to have a church wedding. We have been dating for more than six months and have agreed to wed in a year’s time.
My question is, what are the prerequisites for a church wedding and what must we do before the wedding?
JM
Hi,
I am impressed by your question. Marriage is bigger than what many try to make it appear. It can be both tough and complicated.
Imagine two people aged 27 and 23 getting married. They have a combined 50 years of habits, experiences, friendships, exposure, and pain to explore and navigate in the marriage. After the wedding, many find themselves overwhelmed by the happenings in the relationship, particularly if they were not properly advised about marriage.
Several factors come into play as one moves towards a wedding. I will not attempt to explain them, but will list them for the sake of providing information.
First, engage a couple to mentor you, which is different from a best couple. It should be an older couple who should walk with you before you say “I do”. This is what is referred to as starting with the end in mind. If your best couple is mature and you admire their relationship and family values, you can let them double up as your mentors.
Second, get your parents’ blessings, but not necessarily approval. Some parents deny their children permission to marry a particular person because of race, tribe, or status. This should be rejected by any right-thinking person. Parents can provide guidance, but should not try to control their child.
Third, enrol in a premarital class. This class will give you support, teach you the principles of marriage, and expose you to current trends in relationships and marriage. Many churches and private institutions offer these kind of services.
Try and choose one that will not only teach, but also model the principles. In addition, consider places where the teaching is followed by mentoring and coaching.
Once this has been done, you can set the date and walk with your mentor/best couple towards the wedding as guided by your pastor.
