As students enter your classroom today, gather everyone together to discuss what it takes to make a marriage successful.
- How many of you have been to a wedding? (Accept all reasonable answers.)
Weddings are a special day for everyone involved! They symbolize the joining together between a man and woman who become a new family in God’s eyes. This is cause for celebration among family members, friends, and of course, the happy couple.
- If you decide to get married someday, what would you want your wedding to be like? Would you want it to be simple or extravagant? Would you want to spend a lot of money? (Accept all reasonable answers.)
- Who wants to guess how much the average wedding costs? (Allow several students to answer.)
According to studies by The Business Insider, the average wedding in the US over the last few years has cost between $19,000 and $28,000. That’s more than many new cars or a year of college tuition! In fact, the average cost is down from about $35,000 in 2015. The studies indicate that the pandemic forced many people to have smaller, simpler celebrations than they’d have otherwise.
- With so much money spent on one day, it can be easy to lose sight of the true meaning of the ceremony; after all, is an expensive event the thing that makes a marriage successful? If not these elements, what else? (Give your class a few moments to answer this question, allow them to share all reasonable answers.)
There are thousands of books and articles claiming to know the key to a successful marriage, listing everything including physical attraction, financial solvency, or patience and forgiveness; however, the Bible paints a clear picture about what makes a successful union. Let’s take a look.
Information Source: The average wedding cost $19,000 in 2020, about $10,000 less than the year before
