Even with all the excitement of the weddings, I have to wonder about the future of each couple. How many will be married a year from now or five years from now? I wonder how many of them took their vows seriously or had thought much ahead of time about getting married.
One couple had been drinking a lot, one had been living together for 12 years, another one already had a child together. But they were getting married; that's commendable! Will they get divorced without much planning, just as they got married?
Which brings me to another thought .... there are two proposals being discussed for the Oklahoma legislation. One will make it harder (or more expensive, $175 for license without premarital counseling/classes) to get married and will make it harder (or take longer) to get a divorce. Which one is going to encourage people to be married and stay married? Being a strong proponent of premarital education, instinctively, I would want to give people more of an incentive for premarital classes. But as I think about it, would it only discourage the low-income, low-education, young couples from getting married at all? If couples without children have to wait 90 days to get a divorce, instead of getting an instant divorce, would it discourage them from getting a divorce or would they have a change of heart?
