Love was in the air as 370 Lansing-area residents celebrated World Marriage Day on Saturday.
Couples reaffirm their commitment to their marriages during the day, which is traditionally celebrated close to Valentine’s Day and in several countries around the world.
The celebration sheds an optimistic light on marriage, said Rick Peiffer, a technologist for MSU’s Vincent Voice Library who helped plan this year’s event.
“It’s a day set aside to celebrate the sacrament of marriage,” said Peiffer, who will celebrate 20 years with his wife Diane in May. “You always hear all the negative stuff about marriage, so it’s nice to celebrate the positive stuff once in awhile.”
The celebration was sponsored by Worldwide Marriage Encounter of Lansing, which works to help couples strengthen their relationships.
Peiffer said nearly 135 couples of various faiths gathered at St. Thomas Aquinas church, 955 Alton St., where a bishop renewed their marriage vows.
Betty and Tom Gauthier of Lansing rededicated their vows for the sixth time during the ceremony. Betty said she and her husband look forward to World Marriage Day each year.
“With kids and work, we’re always busy, there’s always stuff to do,” she said. “So it’s nice to take a night for ourselves to celebrate our marriage.”
Gauthier said seeing a large number of couples celebrate the institution of marriage is inspiring.
“It means a lot to see other couples that have spent 25, 35, 45 years together and are renewing their commitment each year,” she said. “It gives us a boost to keep working on our relationship.”
A police escort led a procession of husbands and wives to a reception at the Kellogg Center. Couples could dance, have photos taken and win door prizes like gift certificates or an overnight stay at The English Inn in Eaton Rapids.
Sue Strouse of Williamston said she and her husband Rob feel celebrating World Marriage Day is significant, and have participated in the celebration for the past nine years.
“There’s a lot of things that can pull a marriage apart, so it’s important to strengthen the marriage whenever possible,” said Strouse, a member of the clinical faculty at MSU’s College of Nursing.
For Strouse, who has been married for 21 years, the day is like a trip back in time.
“It takes us back to our wedding day and the joy and excitement we felt on that day,” she said.
