That’s one of the questions being explored in a new book by Rebecca Mead, a writer for the New Yorker. It’s called One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding.
“In nine chapters that cover subjects from the role of religion (limited) to the place of the modern groom (somewhat more substantial), Mead contrasts the fragile and shifting state of marriage to the robust business that surrounds it.” It’s a sad fact that in America today, more than 50% of marriages end in divorce. Brides, in planning the average wedding of nearly $28,000, seem to be pinning their hopes for a rosy future on one fantastic, unbridled day of hyper-celebration.
“I think what the Bridezilla caricature, with all its egotism and its selfishness, says is that everything is not right with the way weddings are. Bridezilla is a way of siphoning off those feelings of disquiet and putting them on a caricature and then not having to look at the larger picture.”
I found this book review to be an interesting preview of what promises to be a soul-searching read.
I wish more people took time to think about their marriage instead of just the wedding. That is something that has always been important to me. But it’s easy to get so caught up in favors, flower arrangements, and ceremony music. My plan is to keep it simple yet classy.