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I’ve been asked to reply to the questions you recently posted to the OPC website.

Famously, our Lord’s first miracle was performed at a wedding (John 2). He used weddings as the setting for several of his parables (Matt. 22 & 25; Luke 12 & 14). Weddings are described in Genesis 29, Psalm 45, Song of Solomon 3, Revelation 19 and probably some other places which aren’t occurring to me right at this moment.

As to why people wed, I recommend reading the OPC’s suggested Form for the Solemnization of Marriage, which can be found on pages 181–188 of our Book of Church Order. It gives these reasons for marriage: “… God has designed marriage for the enrichment of the lives of those who enter into this estate, for the orderly propagation of the human race, for the generation of a holy seed, and for the avoidance of sexual immorality, all to the glory of the covenant God.”

My own reflection: as human beings and Christians, I think we all have an intuitive sense that moments of great import should be commemorated and even consecrated before the God with whom we are in relationship. While the Bible is casually indifferent to marriage ceremonies, Christians across time and space have felt the need for a religious ceremony when a new marriage is formed. Prayer is good, yet we crave something a bit more liturgical. As a bride and groom draw near to one another, they also wish to draw near to their Savior in the presence of their community. All their relationships are being transformed at their wedding, and they want their most important relationship—to their crucified Lord—to be at the center.