My wife-to-be were having a conversation the other day about marriage-things, and we had a question emerge. Where did the wedding ceremony that we have today originate? Not only where did it come from, but when did it become the norm?
It seems to us, at least at a surface level, that the ceremony would just be a blessing of a union between a man and a woman that had already occurred (like believer's baptism) and a symbolic thing (like the Eucharist). It also seems like the church just acknowledging the validity of a government document. This isn't to say that we have a low view of marriage. On the contrary, we have a VERY high view of what marriage is and we just desire to have a fuller understanding of the ceremony itself so that our view of marriage can be the highest possible. So, if anyone can help us with any misunderstandings we may have, that would be great.
