 I went down a little rabbit hole this week, investigating the difference between “a marriage” and “a wedding”…. Fun stuff for a weekend without any marriages or weddings on my booking calendar 😊 I started by reading and interpreting the current restrictions in place around social gatherings, in particular weddings, as there have been so many questions flying around at the moment. Here is a simple explanation of the difference between the two terms. While they are often used interchangeably in our modern world, they are in fact quite different in meaning. Put simply, the word “marriage” refers to the actual long-term relationship, while the word “wedding” refers to a ceremony that celebrates two people uniting in marriage. An Aussie wedding typically lasts for a day, while a marriage is intended to last a lifetime. A wedding also has several additional components aside from the marriage ceremony itself, including the reception, honeymoon, bridal shower, wedding parties, and more. Here are a couple of examples which might help to clarify- Let’s look at the statement “Their marriage was a disaster”. This sentence implies that the couple was not happy in their life together and are probably now separated or divorced. On the other hand, the statement “Their wedding was a disaster“, implies that something happened during the wedding and that the ceremony or the reception did not go smoothly. The couple can go on to have a long and happy marriage even after a disastrous wedding. In a nutshell- The purpose of a marriage is to legalise a relationship. The purpose of a wedding is to celebrate a marriage.  If your wedding plans have gone into a spin due to COVID19 then thinking about the difference here may help you decide what is your best option moving forward as you reset your plans. If you think about what your own priorities are, you’ll soon work out whether it suits you best to go ahead and organize your marriage, which can be done within the current restrictions, or wait for the restrictions to lift so you can have your marriage take place and celebrate it with a wedding on the same day. Of course, there’s always the option of having the marriage take place now and then holding the wedding to celebrate when life gets back to a new normal. You’ll find heaps of ideas to help you with your plans on the resources page of my website www.leannesmith.com.au/resources Or give me a call, anytime, Leanne Comments are closed.
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