God created marriage for a reason - to reflect what our relationship with Him looks like. It is the most intimate, character-defining relationship you're able to have on earth. Making your marriage a priority is crucial to having a God-honoring marriage, and that doesn't end with the wedding. While weddings take a lot of time and effort to plan, marriage is a forever committment that takes ongoing work.
";s:15:"banner_img_type";s:5:"image";s:12:"banner_title";s:27:"We would love to serve you in any capacity we can. Click the button below that best applies to you.
";s:19:"banner_btn1_caption";s:20:"Wedding Request Form";s:19:"banner_btn2_caption";s:17:"Speak to a Pastor";s:16:"banner_btn2_link";s:85:"https://mecklenburg.elexiochms.com/external/form/3d575033-4b9d-4f8f-8579-db7cd5c72e34";s:15:"checklist_title";s:19:"We are excited for your special day! There are two requirements for couples who want to get married at Meck by one of our pastors. First, you or your future spouse must be a member of Mecklenburg Community Church to be married by one of our pastors or use the Meck facilities for your ceremony. The second is that you both must take our Marriage Prep class, which is taught in both the spring and fall seasons.
";s:16:"quick_link_title";s:25:"You may be wondering now: “I got married, what’s next?”
Marriage takes constant work in order to continue to grow and flourish. We are here to walk alongside you and encourage you the whole way through. In order to support you in continuing to keep God at the center of your marriage, we have put together a few book recommendations on the topic of marriage that could benefit you.
Things I Wish I’d Known Before We Got Married by Gary Chapman
";s:25:"quick_link_box1_more_info";s:90:"https://www.thegroundsatmeck.com/product/things-i-wish-i-d-known-before-we-got-married/215";s:24:"quick_link_box2_img_type";s:5:"image";s:21:"quick_link_box2_title";s:34:"The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God by Timothy Keller
";s:25:"quick_link_box2_more_info";s:101:"https://www.thegroundsatmeck.com/product/the-meaning-of-marriage/19?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=true";s:24:"quick_link_box3_img_type";s:5:"image";s:21:"quick_link_box3_title";s:29:"Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; the Respect He Desperately Needs by Dr. Emerson Eggrichs
";s:25:"quick_link_box3_more_info";s:91:"https://www.thegroundsatmeck.com/product/love-respect/862?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=true";s:24:"quick_link_box4_img_type";s:5:"image";s:21:"quick_link_box4_title";s:26:"Sacred Marriage: What if God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy? by Gary Thomas
";s:25:"quick_link_box4_more_info";s:60:"https://www.thegroundsatmeck.com/product/sacred-marriage/450";s:11:"bottom_text";s:359:"As always, we encourage you to also explore classes that the Meck Institute has to offer. There is always something for everyone.
";s:15:"main_banner_img";s:14:"8382122454.jpg";s:10:"banner_img";s:14:"6808866690.jpg";s:19:"quick_link_box1_img";s:13:"147644204.png";s:19:"quick_link_box2_img";s:14:"3144073573.png";s:19:"quick_link_box3_img";s:14:"1254792457.png";s:19:"quick_link_box4_img";s:13:"360090653.png";s:10:"checklists";a:3:{i:0;a:5:{s:5:"title";s:42:"Let us know you're engaged! This is such an exciting season you're entering into and we would love to connect and celebrate with you.
";s:9:"more_info";s:85:"https://mecklenburg.elexiochms.com/external/form/5dec108e-bd10-4792-af00-f14479e65795";s:20:"link_open_in_new_tab";s:1:"0";s:11:"typeform_id";N;}i:1;a:5:{s:5:"title";s:39:"Marriage Prep allows you to go into your marriage with a firm foundation and connects you with other couples and mentors along the way. This class is offered in both the spring and fall.
";s:9:"more_info";s:31:"https://mecklenburg.org/classes";s:20:"link_open_in_new_tab";s:1:"0";s:11:"typeform_id";N;}i:2;a:5:{s:5:"title";s:25:"Take the Team Life class and become a member of Meck. This class is available to attend both online and in person.
";s:9:"more_info";s:70:"https://mecklenburg.org/classes?kwd=&show=Upcoming&type=&category_id=4";s:20:"link_open_in_new_tab";s:1:"0";s:11:"typeform_id";N;}}s:19:"main_banner_img_alt";s:58:"Weddings at Mecklenburg Community Church - Member Services";s:14:"banner_img_alt";s:58:"Weddings at Mecklenburg Community Church - Member Services";s:23:"quick_link_box1_img_alt";s:61:"Things I wish I'd Known Before We Got Married by Gary Chapman";s:23:"quick_link_box2_img_alt";s:37:"The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller";s:23:"quick_link_box3_img_alt";s:38:"Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggrichs";s:23:"quick_link_box4_img_alt";s:30:"Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas";s:27:"banner_btn1_open_in_new_tab";i:1;s:16:"banner_btn1_link";s:85:"https://mecklenburg.elexiochms.com/external/form/5dec108e-bd10-4792-af00-f14479e65795";s:27:"banner_btn2_open_in_new_tab";i:1;s:18:"checklist_subtitle";N;s:19:"quick_link_subtitle";N;s:41:"quick_link_box1_more_info_open_in_new_tab";i:1;s:41:"quick_link_box2_more_info_open_in_new_tab";i:1;s:41:"quick_link_box3_more_info_open_in_new_tab";i:1;s:41:"quick_link_box4_more_info_open_in_new_tab";i:1;}}s:11:" * original";a:21:{s:2:"id";i:8;s:9:"parent_id";N;s:14:"duplicate_from";N;s:4:"slug";s:19:"next-steps/marriage";s:9:"ori_title";s:8:"Marriage";s:5:"title";s:8:"Marriage";s:8:"subtitle";N;s:10:"meta_title";s:21:"Marriage and Weddings";s:16:"meta_description";s:465:"There's a reason that God uses marriage as a symbol of what our relationship with Him is like. It is the most intimate, character-defining relationship you're able to have on earth. Making this relationship a priority and putting forth the effort in cultivating this relationship is essential to a healthy, thriving and God-honoring marriage. No matter where you're at in your relationship, or how long you have been married, it is never too late to make it better.";s:22:"elexio_form_embed_code";N;s:15:"elexio_group_id";s:0:"";s:13:"publish_title";N;s:16:"publish_start_at";N;s:14:"publish_end_at";N;s:15:"blade_file_name";s:8:"marriage";s:10:"updated_by";i:17;s:9:"is_active";i:1;s:10:"is_private";i:0;s:10:"created_at";s:19:"2022-02-21 12:29:25";s:10:"updated_at";s:19:"2025-09-17 06:04:27";s:10:"deleted_at";N;}s:10:" * changes";a:0:{}s:8:" * casts";a:3:{s:16:"publish_start_at";s:8:"datetime";s:14:"publish_end_at";s:8:"datetime";s:10:"deleted_at";s:8:"datetime";}s:17:" * classCastCache";a:0:{}s:21:" * attributeCastCache";a:0:{}s:8:" * dates";a:0:{}s:13:" * dateFormat";N;s:10:" * appends";a:0:{}s:19:" * dispatchesEvents";a:0:{}s:14:" * observables";a:0:{}s:12:" * relations";a:0:{}s:10:" * touches";a:0:{}s:10:"timestamps";b:1;s:9:" * hidden";a:0:{}s:10:" * visible";a:0:{}s:11:" * fillable";a:17:{i:0;s:9:"parent_id";i:1;s:14:"duplicate_from";i:2;s:4:"slug";i:3;s:9:"ori_title";i:4;s:5:"title";i:5;s:8:"subtitle";i:6;s:10:"meta_title";i:7;s:16:"meta_description";i:8;s:22:"elexio_form_embed_code";i:9;s:15:"elexio_group_id";i:10;s:13:"publish_title";i:11;s:16:"publish_start_at";i:12;s:14:"publish_end_at";i:13;s:15:"blade_file_name";i:14;s:10:"updated_by";i:15;s:10:"is_private";i:16;s:9:"is_active";}s:10:" * guarded";a:1:{i:0;s:1:"*";}s:14:" * softCascade";a:2:{i:0;s:12:"metas@update";i:1;s:16:"interests@update";}s:16:" * forceDeleting";b:0;}