The proposal was the subject of the 31st March 2011 premiere of the Fox reality show “Mobbed,” hosted by comedian Howie Mandel. There were about 10.8 million viewers when it was finally showed in Fox. There are several uploads of this video in YouTube and at least one of them already garnered 2.8million views. Aside from being the best wedding proposal ever, that’s one hell of a pilot episode for a reality show.

Congrats to Justin and Nikki.

photo © 2010 Sean McGrath | more info (via: Wylio)

According to the paper, in various Asian communities as well as in the US, Catholics are choosing not to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony for various reasons. The report is based on a study released in Feb 2008 by the Washington-based Center for Applied Research(CARA).

In the Philippines, church wedding is still preferred but like in other Asian countries, there is a decline due to various reasons. And just the same with what happens for the rest of the world, most of the young people have no idea what the Sacrament of Matrimony means.

As the newspaper article suggests, couples who are not considering a church wedding should rethink their decision. And I guess American priest Thomas Vandenberg sums it up when he said that couples should realize that marital vocation is not just for them. The love in marriage is needed by our world. He adds that disillusioned young people need to see that love is real.

An often-overlooked dimension of the marital vocation is that when a couple marries in the Catholic Church, their marriage is not just for them. it’s also for us. As a sacrament, you bring something of Jesus’ love into our lives.

He further adds that sacramental marriage mirrors the depth of Christ’s love to others. It is a couple’s committed love “that not only conceived their children” but that “continues the creation of their children so they will grow up to be healthy human beings”.

And going back to the question on whether getting married in Church is important, no doubt that it is. Not just for the couple and the family they will be starting but for the community they live in and to the world in general. The great vocation of marriage is to mirror God’s deep love for all humanity.

What our study points to is that the marital relationship offers a lot of mental health benefits for both men and women, and that the distress and disruption associated with ending marriage can make people vulnerable to developing mental disorders

- Dr Kate Scott

Here’s the key points listed by Straits Times.

* The study did find that men were less likely to become depressed in their first marriage than women, and Scott said this might be due to women being more likely to follow the traditional role of a wife first time around.

* Other studies have found that as gender roles have become less traditional, with women working more and becoming better educated, female depression has fallen.

* The latest study also found getting married reduced the risk of substance abuse more for women than for men. This might be due to evidence that women cut their alcohol consumption sharply when they became pregnant and this often continued while the children were young.
According to a study, married people are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and substance abuse, clinical psychologist Kate Scott of New Zealand’s University of Otago said on Tuesday.

And what’s the downside? According to the study, ending marriage can increase the risk of mental health problems. The type of end of marriage cited are separation, divorce, or being widowed and is true for both genders.

Sources :

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/15/content_12649518.htm

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/TechandScience/Story/STIStory_466779.html

“All Catholic marriages within the Archdiocese of Manila should be held within the parish churches,” Rosales said in a circular issued to his clergy recently.

Rosales said he was acting to prevent the sacrament of marriage being ridiculed and to press the observance of “all ecclesiastical laws.”

“I have to ensure that abuses do not creep into ecclesiastical discipline, especially concerning the celebration of the sacrament of marriage,” he said.

But the cardinal took exception for those “in periculo mortis” cases.

The religious term is a marriage that is performed when either the groom or bride is in danger of death.

Canon law does require that weddings take place within a church building but each bishop may particularize the policy in his diocese.

Hence, like in Manila, there are other dioceses that do not allow outdoor weddings without a dispensation from the bishop.

Rosales is known for his moves to ensure the solemnity of the sacrament of matrimony within his pastoral jurisdiction.

The church official earlier called the attention of soon-to-wed couples not to forget the solemnity of their marriage ceremony.

He noted that couples focus too much their attention on the wedding details like invitations, attires, among other things, and their attention towards the solemnity of the ceremony is diminished.

Rosales also stated that more couples are now opting to have a civil wedding rather than a church wedding because of the increasing cost involved in holding the latter.

He likewise appealed to bridal parties to wear proper attire during wedding ceremonies. Certain clothing can distract fellow churchgoers from prayer, he said. (Roy Lagarde)

Getting Marc and Phoebe Aviles, the couple behind This Is It Photography, is definitely a steal because are recipients of numerous awards and accolades in the United States including those coming from the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International and 2007 PopPhoto Photographer of the Year. It’s definitely a good chance for couples who have not booked a photographer yet or for those who want a second photographer. More than that, it always bring a good feeling if you know that part of what you will be spending goes
to the victims of “Ondoy”.

For those who are in the Bay Area in California, Marc is also available from Oct 5 to November 15, 2009. Just like his Manila trip, a big portion of the profit will be donated for Ondoy victims specifically those who are in San Juan City.

To contact Marc or get more information about him and his outfit, This Is It Photography, please logon to the following websites.
Official Website : http://www.thisisitphotography.com/
Blog : http://www.thisisitphotography.blogspot.com/

You can also contact them via the following:
Email : info[at]thisisitphotography[dot]com
Contact No : 408 888 2561
Address : 980 El Camino Real Suite 300, Santa Clara CA 95050