Spontaneous weddings boom: The new wedding wave in the churches!

Spontaneous weddings boom: The new wedding wave in the churches!

What a nice moment in the Evangelical Church of Sankt Nicolai in Gifhorn! There Gudrun and Jörg Berntsen, a couple with an impressive 50-year civil marriage, dared to take the step on May 25, 2023 and spontaneously trusted the church. The occasion was her return from a vacation week for the Golden Wedding in Belgium, and what was planned as a short stopover developed into an unforgettable wedding ceremony.

Gudrun, 70 years old, had long wanted a church wedding. This was unusual in the GDR and her husband Jörg was initially against the idea. But when the couple came across a spontaneous wedding festival while visiting Gifhorn, Gudrun took the opportunity. Her decision to keep up with "God's help" surprised and touched her husband very much.

pop-up weddings in the trend

yellow attitudes like that of Gudrun and Jörg are part of a larger trend in the Evangelical Church. More and more couples choose pop-up weddings, an uncomplicated way to reaffirm love without long preparations. Many married couples have also taken part in these ceremonies for many years to be married in church without having previously gone through the church marriage ceremony. During these celebrations, the couples choose a trial and the ceremony often with small gestures of affection, such as the ring change.

The Evangelical Church Cologne and region is a pioneer in this development and is already planning the next pop-up wedding on November 11th. These uncomplicated wedding ceremonies are very popular, while the demand for church marriages among church members has significantly decreased, the Evangelical Community Blatt .

criticism and challenges

Despite the great interest, there are also critical voices. The Catholic pastoral theologian Matthias Sellmann expresses concerns that spontaneous marriages do not offer enough time for reflection. Comparatively less common in the Catholic area, church marriages are considered a sacrament here, which is reflected in the attitude of the church for such new trends.

Another point of the discussion is that the need for individual wedding design was often underestimated by the church. Many couples who opt for a "free wedding" perceive this type of wedding as the more suitable for their relationships. The challenge of combining a church wedding with organizational questions - like parking or a champagne reception - is also increasingly being considered.

This means that the topic of church marriages is not only a question of tradition, but also a reflection of changing social values and needs. And while Gudrun and Jörg naturally celebrated the delicious end of the day with a common ice meal, it is clear: The search for the right framework for love and connection remains an exciting construction site for many couples.

For everyone who is considering marriage in the region: Spontaneous marriages will take place in Ludwigsburg on May 25th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Standesamt Ludwigsburg , in which documents can also be inquired for a subsequent church wedding.