Wedding vs marriage
What is the difference between a wedding and a marriage? The two words are often used interchangeably, but they actually refer to entirely different things. Are you planning for a wedding or for a marriage?
What is a wedding?
A wedding is an event at which two people get married. It might involve any or none of the following aspects:
- Dressing up
- Getting hair and makeup done
- Fancy fingernails
- Flowers
- Showy cars
- Photographer and/or videographer capturing every moment of the day
- A ceremony that may involve a whole lot of different features
- Rings
- Photo opportunities with wedding party and family
- Portrait photo session for the couple
- Drinks and canapes
- A reception including food, drinks, entertainment, and dancing
- Throwing the bouquet/garter
- Speeches
- Cake
All of these are parts of a wedding. Almost none of them are required to create a marriage.
What is a marriage?
A marriage is a relationship between people who are married to each other. The only thing from the list above that is actually required for a marriage is a ceremony to legalise the marriage. After the ceremony, a marriage is all about two people doing life together. It’s about two people working hard to build and maintain an ongoing, lifelong relationship. A marriage doesn’t necessarily involve children. What it does involve is commitment, communication, and consent.
Wedding vs marriage
I’ve watched couples over the years who seem to be putting all their effort into planning a wedding. They appear to have forgotten that they need to think beyond the wedding to what their marriage will look like. Planning a marriage is just as important, if not more so, than planning a wedding. A wedding in Australia is a single day; a marriage is hopefully for the rest of your life. It takes time and effort to maintain a marriage. I encourage you to think about your marriage during your wedding planning process.