UK National Marriage Week celebrates the importance of marriage by helping couples focus on the essentials of a lasting relationship - on the big day and beyond.
The 2022 theme is 'Secrets to a Happy Marriage' which hopes to see married couples sharing simple advice on how to maintain a strong marriage. Anyone can submit their personal tips here.
Marriage Week, organised by the Marriage Foundation, is also encouraging churches and faith groups to find new ways of supporting couples who want to get married but struggle with the cost of conventional modern weddings. Their 'Naked Weddings' campaign encourages churches to offer alternative post-ceremony options if the cost of a conventional reception is unaffordable for a couple
This could include hosting the entire wedding celebration in the church or church hall. It could be a simple 'cake and fizz' reception after the ceremony,
an all-inclusive package, or even a community wedding where friends, family and the church all pull together to make it happen.
Marriage week is not just about couples getting married, there are also has lots of resources for churches to use to help couples who are already married put time aside to invest in their relationships. These include prayers, service guides and creative ideas.
If your church is already hosting creative simple weddings or has plans to, we'd love to hear about it!