Elaborate ceremonies. Bridal dresses. Gift registries. Rehearsal dinners.
While the wedding routine is familiar to just about everybody, a majority of Canadians say it's also unnecessary.
A new poll from Angus Reid found that, despite the growth of the wedding industry, 53 per cent of surveyed Canadians consider marriage to be unimportant.
While the poll’s findings may come as a surprise to some people, they don’t surprise the longtime wedding officiant at Kitchener City Hall.
Pat Fretwell says she’s seen a decline in the number of people getting married in her chapel over the last few years. This year, for the first time in her 20-plus years of experience, there wasn’t a single couple for her to marry on Valentine’s Day.
“The traditional marriage is sort of becoming a thing of the past,” Fretwell says.
“It’s not a priority anymore.”
Fretwell says she can’t be sure why fewer people are getting married at City Hall, but she suspects many younger couples are opting to focus on buying a house together or having children before they worry about a wedding.
She also thinks it might have something to do with the long-term increase in divorce rates. Because younger people are seeing the marriages of their parents or other people in their lives dissolve, she figures, they’re more hesitant to jump into marriage themselves.
In that sense, Gloria Taylor was ahead of the curve. She’s had a partner for 37 years – but they’ve never lived together and never officially tied the knot.
“We didn’t see the point. I like my space and he likes his,” she says.
A marriage therapist by trade, Taylor often advises her clients to focus on what she calls “freedom and autonomy” – traits leading them to understand the difference between themselves and their marriage.
“Marriage is hard work,” she says.
“I want you thinking for yourself and making decisions for yourself.”
The poll also found that 24 per cent of surveyed Canadians believe religious marriage ceremonies are more legitimate than civil ones, while 59 per cent believe legal marriage should not lead to special tax benefits.
With reporting by Maleeha Sheikh
