Saturday, May 07, 2005

ONE MORE WORD ON THE MEDIA BRIDES OF OUR TIME

I just read a wonderful post about The Runaway Bride from American Digest. If the blog isn't on your blogroll, it should be.

Media Brides are all over the place - famous engaged couples (Ben&Jen, formerly Ben&Jen - hey, he doesn't even have to remember another name), Bachelors and Bachelorettes, Whose Wedding is it Anyway?, and, now, a real-life Runaway Bride.

Funny, one of the reasons couples give for not getting married is that they don't have the money to put on a wedding. When did the overblown "perfect" wedding/reception/honeymoon/everything-just-so hoop-de-do become more important that the marriage?

Think about all the REALLY overblown weddings of the past. Where are the "happy" couple now?
  • Madonna & Sean
  • Charles & Diana
  • Brad & Jennifer
  • Liza Minnelli & David Guest (OK, I know NOBODY saw that coming)
  • Donald Trump & whoever


It's really funny that, in our culture, we have a Bride's Magazine (heck, it's an industry), but no Marriage Magazine. We have We, Self, and all the other "Me" magazines, but no Couples or Family magazines that focus on real life and making a family stronger, not just spending more money.

Maybe churches should use their influence to start limiting the over-the-top weddings they host in their church. A good rule of thumb is that all the expenses for the wedding should be no more than 1/4 the take-home salary of the bridal couple. And should be matched by a savings account. Anything exceeding that is a true scandal. If the couple want to indulge in an orgy of spending, why should a church be involved? It has absolutely nothing to do with marriage.

I want a cable show called "Simple Weddings", dedicated to the belief that it's the marriage that's important, not the one-day show. That show could concentrate on ferreting out bargains and deals, and show the families how to have a good time, celebrate the new family, and not spend themselves into the ground. Maybe brides and grooms agreeing to go on the show could get a small amount to spend (perhaps matching what they've saved already?), and show them how to maximize the dollars for a really great day.

My guess is that the marriages of such practical people would be longer-lasting and more stable than the "Bridezilla" ones.

2 comments:

Francis W. Porretto said...

As a general rule, marriages that begin with a super-hoopla wedding have a cloudy future. The reason should be obvious: when the "high point" of the thing is firmly anchored in your past, what do you have to look forward to?

600 guests! The mind reels. They'll probably stay married for about an hour and a half. Given the bride-to-be's recent demonstration of proclivities, perhaps less.

vanderleun said...

Thanks for the link and the kind words. i appreciate them.

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