"Marriage is a desire by two people to share themselves and their experiences with each other, and a willingness to accept each other for who they are.

Marriage means making a commitment to developing co-operation, friendship and mutual respect. It calls for understanding, honesty, patience, and of course humour!

Marriage is where each partner cares for the other and supports them in all that they do.

"It demands courage – the courage to be open, the courage to grow and change, and the courage to sort out together the tasks of everyday living.

Marriage requires closeness and distance – closeness for a couple growing together and enough distance to allow each partner to be an individual.

A good partner in such a marriage will be loving and caring and above all a best friend."

photographs by Andrew Bailey