Why I got married — without a wedding

As a seasoned viewer of wedding reality TV, I wanted out

Wedding
(Image credit: (Illustration by Lauren Hansen | Photos courtesy of iStock, Facebook.com/DavidTuteraUnveiled))

Apparently dissatisfied with the sorry state of weddings, evangelicals want to reinsert Jesus into the celebration of marriage. Cue showy foot washing and bridesmaid regalia reminiscent of the crucifixion!

But can you really blame them? The traditional rituals of marriage have become so laden with artifice that it seems essential to bring back some semblance of meaning to the whole affair.

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Elizabeth Stoker writes about Christianity, ethics, and policy for Salon, The Atlantic, and The Week. She is a graduate of Brandeis University, a Marshall Scholar, and a current Cambridge University divinity student. In her spare time, Elizabeth enjoys working in the garden and catching up on news of the temporal world.