Celebrities Marry Everywhere But in Church on Labor Day Weekend
The news of three different celebrity weddings dominated Labor Day Weekend this year, but none of the nuptials took place in the church.
First, former "The View" co-host Jenny McCarthy wed Donnie Wahlberg on Saturday, Aug. 30 in St. Charles, Illinois at Hotel Baker. According to reports, friends and family of the couple were spotted in St. Cloud on Saturday, including Wahlberg's brother Paul as well as his former New Kids on the Block band mates Jordan Knight and Danny Wood.
McCarthy was raised in a Catholic household and has even admitted early intentions to become a nun, but it is unknown if she still identifies with Catholicism. After the birth of her son Evan and his Autism diagnosis, McCarthy admitted to praying to a wide variety of Catholic saints.
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Also on Saturday, Aug. 30, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade were married, but in Miami, Florida. The actress and her NBA star groom exchanged "I do's" at the Chateau Artisan castle during a black-and-white themed wedding, according to Us. Family and friends attended the event, including Wade's three sons from a previous relationship.
The decision to marry outside of the church came as a surprise to Wade's fans since the Miami Heat star is an outspokenly strong Christian. In fact, the basketball star thanked God repeatedly following the Heat's 2013 Finals win.
"Two championships in three years together is an unbelievable feat, so we're just thankful and blessed," he said. "We just thank God for giving us the ability to do it."
Finally, Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross also tied the knot over the Labor Day weekend. It is believed that the pair married on the evening of Sunday, Aug. 31 at the Greenwich, Conn. estate belonging to Ross' mother, Diana Ross. Simpson's five-year-old son from her first marriage, Bronx, walked her down the aisle, according to E News.
The bride, whose father is a former Baptist youth minister, does not talk about her faith or her Christian upbringing very often. However, Simpson has gushed about religion as a whole in the past.
"I love religion," she said in 2008, according to DNAAnalysis.com. "I remember when the book 'The Da Vinci Code' came out, the Discovery Channel did a three-night piece on it that I recorded then watched eight times."
Meanwhile, some denominations, such as Catholicism, require that weddings take place in a church, although there are some exceptions. While Protestants are not required to marry in churches, many marry in their home church as tradition. Some people argue that holding a wedding in a natural setting such as the outdoors can be beautiful, while also revealing the presence of God. However, Catholic Deacon Greg Kandra points out an important difference.
"By bringing themselves before the church, and into a church, and bearing witness in that sacred setting, a couple performs a public act of humility, and faith, and belief," Kandra wrote on his blog. "They don't expect God to come to them. They go to Him."
Today's wedding trends beg the question, why are more and more couples opting for weddings outside the church? As the wedding season winds down to a close, stay tuned to The Christian Post for more insight.
