Reaching Brides and Fiancees at Their Own Trade-show


luxuriously framed Marriage Proclamation


Ugly poster with State Marriage Agreement
beside our poster with our Proclamations

We Took Advantage of
Great Educational Opportunity


Cleveland 10/18/06 - Last weekend I was able to reach hundreds of brides-to-be, and many of their fiancees, as they visited our exhibitor's booth in the Embassy Suites Hotel in Independence, Ohio. Over 700 brides registered for the Today's Bride show and all of the attendees had to pass our exhibit. My goal was to invite them to put the terms of their Christian marriage promises in a signed agreement on their wedding day and use constitutional law professor's "Covenant in Anticipation of Marriage" before their wedding.

Their attention was caught when I gave them our flyer that asked, "Have you made arrangements for your written marriage agreement?" I told many, "This is what they don't tell you whey you get your state marriage license." Attendees could then either continue to read our flyer, or look at our ugly sign, which spelled out the terms of the state marriage license agreement.

        I love you, and want to marry you, temporarily.
       We will share our procreative powers to conceive and bear children until I feel like quitting.
       I may leave you with half our assets and take our children from you so they can see me without you around.
       I can leave you and the children financially destitute so I can have a new sex partner.
       I can kick you out of the family home and make you pay tens of thousands of dollars, while I live here with someone else.
       If you expect to be married for life, you'll be found guilty of insisting that I stay married to you when I don't want to.
       If you think adultery or abandonment is immoral, you can be reprimanded by judges.
       If you teach our children that I am doing something wrong, you can be penalized for alienating the children against me.
       WILL YOU MARRY ME?

Before the Bridal show, the sales agent for Today's Bride thought that using humor was a great idea and she was right.

I was able to let brides, fiancees, family, and friends, see and touch our Mary's Advocates Marriage Proclamation, which displays the centuries-old marriage vows. Many times I watched a groom-to-be just shake his head and squish his brows as I explained that when he applies for his state marriage license, he is essentially asking his fiancee to reserve his right to abandon her and leave her financially destitute with any children so he can have a new sex partner. Repeatedly I saw a bride-to-be gasp, as I explained that with the state marriage license application, she is asking her fiancee to accept her right to kick him out of the house and pay tens of thousands of dollars to support a home in which he can't live.

When attendees agreed that these were not the promises intended by the marrying couple, then I invited them to do something about it by seeing our Marriage Proclamation. Some of the reactions I received included:

From a mother of the bride, "Is this really in the law? I never knew."

From other mothers of the bride "This is a really good idea."

From a bride-to-be, "If this isn't our intention, why is it still the law?"

From another bride-to-be "VERY interesting!"

From a future groom, "I'd bet the men understand the importance of putting the terms of one's intended marriage promises in writing more than the ladies would."

From a wedding planner, "This is a great idea, it is such a shame when a bride spends her life savings on a wedding to only have it all destroyed two years later."

From a photographer who may be a distributor for us, "I understand the need for this idea"

Though it will be months before we know how many couples from the show choose to use our True Marriage Proclamations, it's obvious to me that it was a great opportunity to educate unsuspecting brides, their families and friends about the Meaning of True of Marriage in light of no-fault divorce. Because I was an exhibitor, I have the information needed to contact the attendees several months before the scheduled wedding too, and I look forward to meeting other brides-to-be at future bridal shows.

Bai Macfarlane
Founder, Mary's Advocates


Copyright Mary's Advocates