Are you looking to get married? How does a free wedding sound? A Dallas church plans to pick up the tab for 60 couples on their wedding day.
But, there’s a catch.
Concord Church is looking for couples that already live together, but have not tied the knot. Church leadership wants to end the trend of cohabitation before marriage.
“If we can invest in marriages — healthy marriages — we can change the future,” said Bryan Carter, the senior pastor of Concord Church. “We’re doing this because we love people, and we believe in building strong marriages and strong families.”
If couples want a free wedding, they must attend 10 weeks of pre-marriage counseling and then Concord Church will pay for the rest.
“So free cake, tuxedo, dress, rings, everything that you need,” Carter said. “We want to remove every barrier that you may be facing so that you can step into a marriage that honors God.”
Carter came up with the idea 10 years ago. This is the fourth time he is making the offer.
Forty couples have already expressed interest. Carter says the Redbird church will pay for as many as 60 weddings.
“Here’s the truth, living together devalues marriage and leads to sexual sin,” Carter said in a Sunday sermon. “And what cohabitation does is it creates a sexual relationship without the coveted relationship.”
And for the couples who don't want to marry, the church will pay to help you move out.
“We want to pay your first month’s rent. Help you make this transition,” Carter said. “If you know you know you’re not in the space you need to be or you know you don’t want to get married, then perhaps it’s time for you to make a change. And we want to help you do that.”
In the past, the church has offered the couples the chance to get married in a group ceremony. Now Carter says the church may offer individual ceremonies.
The marriage offer is open to everyone, not just members of the church.
For more information, go to concorddallas.org.