Wedding Planning vs. Marriage Prep: A Case Brief
Case: Wedding Planning vs. Marriage Prep, 2016.
Facts: Engaged couples everywhere fall victim (in varying degrees) to the stress and pressure of wedding planning, thereby hindering their ability to focus on the real work at hand: preparing for their lifelong, life-changing commitment to one another and their marriage.
Issue: Is breaking down in tears acceptable during the wedding planning process, and if so, what does this emotional reaction signify?
Holding: (Vote: 1,915,925,038 to 2) Yes, this behavior is acceptable, though explanations of significance will vary.
Majority Reasoning:
A. Rule: Both wedding planning and marriage preparation are emotional undertakings, each with myriad decision points and opportunities for self-examination. The court accepts the realities of both, but rejects society's emphasis on the former activity because:
- Weddings are ephemeral, whereas marriages are, with good faith and effort, intended to last a lifetime.
- Weddings are subject to ultimately superficial expectations, whereas marriages are subject to a couple's expectations of each other and their unique, mutual relationship -- expectations that require open dialogue and receptive hearts to set in the first place.
- The world of wedding planning lies within the galaxy of engagement, which lies within the universe of marriage preparation. The day or way couples say their vows is not intended to be a goal or an endpoint. Rather, it is an opportunity to practice the very communication and problem-solving that will power their marriage and fuel their growth as individuals and as partners.
B. Application: When individuals are moved to cry, yell, stomp, or undertake any other extreme display of emotion related to either wedding planning or marriage preparation, they are encouraged to take a step back and examine what provoked the reaction. The court advises the individual to share his/her feelings with his/her partner to seek opinions, counterpoints, and/or comfort, depending on the particulars of the incident at hand.
Concurrence 1:
That's what's so touching about weddings: Two people fall in love, and decide to see if their love might stand up over time, if there might be enough grace and forgiveness and memory lapses to help the whole shebang hang together. Yet there is also much discomfort, and expense, and your hope is that on the big day, energy will run through the lightest elements and the heaviest, the brightest and the dullest, the funniest and the most annoying, and that the whole range will converge in a ring of celebration.
-- Anne Lamott, "Flower Girl," Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith
Concurrence 2:
When people say that your wedding is the happiest day of your life, they have it a little wrong. If all goes well, your wedding may be the happiest day of your life so far. But the wedding marks the beginning of married life; it is the announcement of the start of something great.
-- Meg Keene, A Practical Wedding
Concurrence 3:
Love can change a person the way a parent can change a baby -- awkwardly, and often with a great deal of mess.
-- Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can’t Avoid
Dissent 1: Society:
A. "BECAUSE I SAY SO."
Dissent 2: Bridal magazines:
A. "La la la la all the pretty things!"
Dissent 3: The occasional heart and mind:
A. "..."
Conclusion: Stay strong. Stay focused. Stay loving. You'll be ok, and so will your marriage.
Prayer #297: Leap of Faith
Be with us as we leave the plane, pull the cord, and hurtle headlong into the rest of our lives. Make our descent productive and our landing soft, and when we have stopped bouncing, let us help each other to our feet and revel in the brave new world we get to build together.
Amen.