A Modest Wedding

by linder6580 at www.sxc.hu

Wedding plans have taken over our home.  My sister-in-law, Ashley,  who has lived with us since February, is getting married on June 1st.  We are excited for her.

Wedding dress shopping was a real challenge for Ashley and her mom.  They struggled to fine a dress that fit their modesty requirements. Eventually they did find a few options, all of which were on the discount rack because they weren’t selling.

I have attended and participated in many weddings throughout the years.  I think sometimes Christians see it as an opportunity to throw off our modesty standards. Christians should consider modesty in the clothing aspects of the wedding.  The bridesmaids dresses should be appropriately modest.  You should not want to ask your friends to wear something that is immodest and may cause them to be uncomfortable.

The wedding ceremony is not a worship service, but it is a holy and special occasion.  God is certainly invited and expected to be present at the ceremony.

The world has lost the sanctity of marriage and purity of sexuality so they have gone to spicing up the ceremony.  Because so many couples are living together before marriage, there has been a trend to make the wedding more “sexy” in a hope of giving a romantic and spicy feel back to the relationship.  In an article in Newsweek in 2009 entitled “Like a Virgin No More” the author discussed, “why modern brides are opting for racy gowns, wild bachelorette parties, and sexy Maxim-style pre-wedding photo shoots.”  The author points out the trend to move weddings from church buildings to homes, outside venues, and public buildings. This has often been done to free the wedding ceremony from the restrictions of a church wedding. The article states, “For a long time wedding dresses were this backwater, All Dressed in White author Wallace says, “They were very different from what anyone would wear in their normal life.  But now its perfectly clear that white no longer symbolizes virginity.  It’s become a symbol of merely being a bride.  So once virginity goes out the window, why wouldn’t you show more of your breasts or have a back cut down to your waist?”  

This is how the world is trending with marriages.  Christians must swim upstream against this trend.  We must remain committed to modesty, purity, and holiness.  The marriage ceremony is one time when we should certainly not throw off our standards, but should present a powerful example to the world.

Let me close with a word of caution.  I am not writing this as a slam against anyone and certainly do not want to be self-righteous and judgmental in my attitude.  I actually researched this back in 2009 and intended to submit an article to one of our brotherhood publications, but never did.  Many who read this might regret their choice of wedding dress or bridesmaid dresses.  My purpose is not to add guilt  for past poor choices, but to inspire and encourage future brides and Christian weddings to consider modesty.  

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Some good resources:

Joshua Harris Blog Post

Albert Mohler Blog Post

GirlTalk Blog Post – good questions and standards to consider

Newsweek Article – Like a Virgin No More