Everybody loves a wedding! Today marks the 14th wedding anniversary for Catherine Elizabeth Middleton and William Arthur Philip Louis Mountbatten-Windsor. The world knows them better as Prince William and Princess Kate.
Their wedding was attended by 1,900 guests, “while another 1 million spectators lined the streets of London and an estimated 2 billion people around the world watched on television… An afternoon reception at the palace presided over by Queen Elizabeth for some 650 guests followed, and that evening, Prince Charles hosted a dinner dance at the palace for 300 people.”1
Getting married is not cheap. According to the website zola.com, Zola predicts for 2025, weddings will cost “an average of $36,000. However, more than 50 percent of couples are expected to go over budget. Millennials in particular have a higher average spend, shelling out $51,130 for their big day, according to Empower.”2 Since we live here in the Midwest, wedding costs tend to be lower, averaging around $20,000 for the grand day.3
While I’m choking on those numbers, I read an article that told the cost of the wedding for the Royals. “Good Housekeeping reports that their wedding cost a reported $34 million. The bridal and groom cakes cost $80,000 each. Kate’s dress cost $434,000 and the flowers cost upwards of $1.1 million. Just the security required to keep the royal family and their guests safe was $32 million.”4
“Real trees – an“avenue of trees” with live field maples and nearly 30,000 white, green and cream flowers that were chosen to evoke an English country style were also brought into Westminster Abbey to give it an English country feel.”5
Thankfully, the father of the bride didn’t have to pay for it all! I wonder what he did contribute to the wedding. All of a sudden, a Midwest wedding for $20,000 doesn’t seem like much, does it? Yes, it DOES!
There is a wedding that far exceeds the amount of money lavished on the wedding for the Royals. Isaiah 61:10 says, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”
Ephesians 5 gives those familiar verses in Ephesians 5:22-25. “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (24) Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. (25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church,
and gave himself for it…” After we read this explanation of the roles of the husband and wife in marriage, Paul says, “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:32)
Christians are the bride of Christ. The wedding was totally paid for in the blood of Jesus. There is no cost to the bride. We simply accept the extravagant gift of salvation offered by Christ, offered to us by grace through faith.
Right now, we are betrothed (espoused – 2 Corinthians 11:2) and we await the wedding. Finish out this devotional by imaging the scene found in Revelation 19:6-9. Now, this is going to be an extravagant wedding!
“And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (7) Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (8) And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (9) And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”
1https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/april-29/britains-prince-william-weds-kate-middleton
2https://www.zola.com/expert-advice/the-first-look-report-2025
3https://www.brides.com/average-cost-of-us-wedding-11686510
4https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/william-and-kate-wedding-fun-facts-may-not-know.html/
5https://people.com/all-about-kate-middleton-prince-william-wedding-7503486
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