Traditional Marriage, Court Wedding, Church Wedding, and the Rest of Us
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As stated in the weekly prompt, there are different types of marriage, ranging from court, traditional, and religious weddings. Now, if you ask me which one I prefer, I would say I prefer all, depending on my pocket. But to approach this topic from the angle of which one is most necessary, I will say traditional marriage takes the lead.
To me, traditional marriage is the main and most important because it is the first point where the marriage journey begins. Even the court will ask you if you have done what tradition demands with the family before proceeding. The church wedding is simply taking that union, which started at the family level with the payment of the bride price, to the church for pastoral blessings and submitting it to God.
Even at that, a pastor can pray at the traditional marriage, but some people still prefer to take it to church. It could be a big church wedding, a small one with just close family and friends, a midweek service ceremony, or even done in the pastor’s office, with at least one witness.
The legal or court wedding is more for legal protection, if I can call it that. It is also important for documentation, especially in cases where documents are required for official matters. That way, they won't have to rush to get it when needed urgently.
You can't do a court or church wedding without first performing the traditional marriage. The traditional marriage is the dowry itself, not necessarily the occasion. In both court and church settings, it is usually asked if the man has paid the dowry and completed the necessary traditional and family rites.
Court marriage is basically to protect the wife and children. For instance, in the event that the husband dies, the wife and children can inherit properties in peace. It gives the woman peace of mind and protects her and her children from being thrown into the street by wicked or greedy in-laws who suddenly call the properties “my brother’s.” It also helps in international matters like traveling.
But the funny and painful part of all this is that if you ask some young ladies today why they prefer court marriage, the first response you will hear is “in case of divorce.” And I keep asking myself, why should a young lady go into a fresh marriage with the mindset of divorce?
That clearly tells us that it is not the kind of marriage one does that really matters, and it is not the wedding type that determines the kind of home you will have after the marriage. For the marriage to work, it must be a contributory effort. It is the sole responsibility of both parties involved.
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Marriage is a union of a man and a woman so everyone should do their part in making it work. Whichever way a person chooses to get married, they want to consider doing the court wedding as it's also scriptural to register marriages so that they honor God in their union
True, the Choice of any kind of marriage should be the decision of the spouse.
And making marriage work is the responsibility of both parties
Asweeeaar! This divorce trend is killing us very badly. People are just ready for divorce these days as if it's a relationship they're doing. God help us ooh!