Weddings that Lack Character

Wedding season is about the begin and yet again thousands of couples will vow to love and cherish each other - except that they don't vow to love the person that stands before them; they vow to love the feeling that the other person creates in them, and we all know what happens to feelings over time.

Our societies actively encourages this behavior with visual and audio enforcement in the form of movies and songs. We are practically inundated with the idea of romantic love that lasts forever; romance can blossom any old time, and it never fades away - except that it does.

What if we instead encouraged people to take a closer look at the person they are marrying and not only the feeling that the person creates in them? The reason the feeling of love vanishes rather quickly is due to the fact that no one fishes with an ax. We use a bait that the fish likes, which is most likely something we don't (unless we have a thing for worms). When the fish is in the hook, the bait is no longer needed. In the case of love-struck couples, both walk down the aisle thinking the other person will always remain the same, interested in all the things they are interested in, for that was after all how they behaved before the wedding.

When the couple begins to behave in a more realistic way, and they become more self-oriented wanting to do the things they want to do instead of the things their spouse wants to do, the feeling of being in love begins to fade. If they didn't take a closer look at whom they actually married, the shock of the realization can cause love to vanish into thin air, and the marriage ends before it really had a chance to begin.

Love is a wonderful thing, but it is quite fragile and bruises easily. Character isn't quite as exiting, but is far more enduring, and can handle the inevitable blows that life serves us. While planning all the details of your special day, don't forget to take a closer look at the character of the person you are about to marry. For a wedding happily lasts only one day, but a marriage should last a lifetime.