Wedded to Self

Wedded to Self

Marcia makes a beautiful bride. After months of planning the big day has arrived. Everything and everyone is in place waiting for their cue. A vision of elegance as Marcia makes her way down the flowered aisle to face her pastor. Wait where's the groom?

In this ceremony there's no need for a groom, Marcia is committing herself to herself. WHAT? That's right she has waited all her life to have a wedding and did so with a slight twist. There's a new trend that has developed with women over thirty, tired of waiting for men to pop the question these women are marrying themselves, in other words choosing to live without mates.

    "The ceremony was confirmation to me as a happy individual with a very healthy dose of self-esteem."Marsha

Has these women gone mad? No not at all.This is not a new tradition (religious wise), although many Catholic and Anglican religious orders today no longer continue this practice, a ceremony would be given inwhich noviates (junior sisters) would marry or commit themselves to Christ vowing chastity,poverty,and obedience.

The vows of these non-religious or laywomen are different but signify the same seriousness as those of their religious counterparts.Vowing to love and appreciate their single selves and not forsake the wonderful life God has blessed them, or to disrespect their minds,bodies, and spirits for the sake of lust.

What do those vows really mean? These women are seeing themselves as totally capable of managing their own lives and are bidding farewell to their willingness to sacrifice emotionally,physically, and spiritually to have a mate. Turning their backs on a unhappy existence is how one woman described women who married themselves.

    "When a friend of mine married herself a few years ago I thought she had lost her mind. She did it as a joke when she turned 30. I decided to do it because I was tired of my mother and aunts bugging me about getting married, so I married myself not as a joke but as a statement about my life.I don't need marriage to some man to be committed to life and my happiness!"Marsha

    "It was like The Runaway Bride except it was the groom who ran out on the wedding day. Rather than hide in the rectory of the church or permit my parents to announce to my guests I was dumped by my fiance I preceded with the ceremony." Torre

Is marrying oneself a bit peculiar and warrants therapy? It depends on who you ask that question, mainstream world would probably find it strange if not extremely abnormal for a woman to marry herself but ask any woman that has committed to herself and she'll say no.Rest assured as long as this trend continues the mental state of those participating will be scrutinized.

    "What's wrong with vowing to love and respect yourself, shouldn't that be celebrated in this unhappy world? No I wasn't crazy when I did it just wanted to show my love for myself."Marsha

Is the woman saying no to any possible romances in the future by committing to herself?Possibly. For the most part many are saying goodbye to the old single lifestyle of bar surfing,one-night stands,lonely hearts clubs, unplanned pregnancies,and so on for more passionate living experiences such as travel, higher self awareness,charity,and career development. Then there are those who have never desired romantic involvements, marriage, and children, marrying themselves was a matter of confirming their lives as perpetually single women, steel magnolias, leather spinsters, or whatever the term they choose to use to describe their lives. It takes a lot of courage to make marital commitments to another but to marry yourself takes nerves of steel.