If you are in the process of planning a wedding, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed from the very beginning. To help, I’ve put together a list of 5 ways to simplify your wedding and aid you in thinking through options you maybe wouldn’t think of, and a few things I learned/wish I knew.
Something I realized during the wedding process was how our culture wants you to make your wedding all about you (what else is new? Haha). But if we take on the lens of Christ, we are called to continually invest and love one another and share the Gospel. Bam! What better way to love those in our lives by sharing that and making our wedding day all about that and what He has done. Of course, celebrate us and our relationship, but in a sense, it’s not about us.
So, our prayer for our wedding was that our guests would get a glimpse of God and His truth and goodness and His design for marriage. We sure learned a lot about it in preparing and these first few months of being husband and wife so that is what I am sharing about today. Everyone has their own vision and intention in mind for their wedding, and to each their own – absolutely! My intention of this is essentially to share a list of ways to look within and be intentional about creating your wedding day and how to set your heart posture while planning.
1. Pray and position your heart
The first part in planning a Christ-centered wedding is setting your intentions and the position of your heart. A prayer that you and your future husband will be rooted in your identities in Christ and continually learn about your Savior, individually and together is a perfect place to start the journey.
Another thing to add onto that is to take time to learn about God’s design for marriage and pray that your marriage will keep God at the center, where you will experience the freedom only found through God first loving and forgiving us. May God help and continually use your marriage as a ministry to bless others.
2. Invite God in
Inviting God into the planning and preparation is something I will be honest, I struggled with. Looking back now, I wish I would have taken more time to be still and listen to His voice. I shared with a friend a few months ago, if you do that, just think, how could my day honor the Lord? It makes it so simple. Share the Gospel and about Him, His faithfulness, His character – and all the other details fade away.
Another way to invite God in during planning is praying that God will draw you and others closer to himself during your wedding planning and wedding day.
3. Pre-marital counseling
This was most definitely our favorite part of preparing for marriage! It was so impactful and opened our eyes to learn what God’s design for marriage truly is and the depths of it all. We learned many wise lessons from our mentors who did our counseling and wedding ceremony. We recommend seeking wisdom from a mentor or elderly couple during your dating and engagement seasons (and even into marriage).
4. Look for opportunities to serve your guests and those involved in your day
Your wedding is a time you will be surrounded by people who want to serve you—vendors, your bridal party and more. It sounds silly to talk about this when we’re talking about our wedding but the idea of looking at your wedding as a chance to serve your guests well was something we didn’t take lightly. A few things you could consider are bringing gifts to your shower hostesses, being intentional with your vendors and getting to know them and seeking ways in your planning that you can think of your guests FIRST. Hotel and venue accommodations is a great one! Another easy one is throughout the planning season and your wedding day, talk with your friends and family about their lives instead of just your wedding. Use the planning, festivities and day of your wedding to invest in the lives of some of your favorite people. What a gift!
5. Less is more – decide the essentials & non-essentials for festivities and day-of details
When your goal is to keep Christ and the gospel at the center of your wedding, it’s easy to determine what things are not essential and how to simplify. Find freedom in not needing to do every traditional wedding detail all of the planning books and websites tell you to do. Let some of the tiny details go. When you want your guests to see a glimpse of Christ and who He is, it takes the pressure off, simplifies things and gets back to the root of the day. That Christ would be glorified!
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6
