Can you get married before your wedding?

Wait… is there a difference? Yes!

Marriage is the official and legally binding exchange of vows that creates the union of a husband and wife. Your wedding is the celebration of your union. Think about it, you celebrate your wedding anniversary on a specific day each year, but will say you have been married for # years. It’s a slight difference in the meaning of the word.

Most people get married and have the vows exchanged during the wedding. But sometimes it makes sense to separate them. What might be some reasons why?

*You want to exchange your vows in a destination setting but want to celebrate with your friends and family afterwards in a traditional setting *You have a person you want to be present, but maybe they can’t make it to a wedding (perhaps due to medical or other mobility complications) *You want to be focused on each other and don’t want to feel pressured by the busyness of a wedding day *You cannot afford a wedding at the time you want to be married *You have a life changing event, such as military deployment where you want to commit before leaving and can celebrate the wedding when you come back from deployment

If you want any additional information on how this might be a good choice for you, I’m happy to answer any questions.