a post from my fiancee
This post brought to you by my lovely, wonderful, amazing, (and FUNNY) fiancee:
In a fit of bridal related enthusiasm and excitement over finally getting a public library card I took out two books on weddings from the library and recently finished both. The first was "One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding". This book was extremely interesting and details the modern American wedding's origins and consumer culture. My favorite line from the book was a quote from a clergyman in which he stated that he hates the "narcissistic cleavage culture" that characterizes the modern wedding. It certainly made me rethink many of the choices I've been contemplating about the wedding and had me take a step back to reexamine what it is I really want and what a wedding is about.
On a funnier note, the second book was the "K.I.S.S. Guide to Planning a Wedding" . I only ended up flipping through this one because, even though it was published in 2003, the author talked about not wearing shoulder pads in the wedding gown if you have broad shoulders and all of the pictures looked like they were straight from the mid eighties. Also, reading this one after "One Perfect Day" was probably a poor choice on my part. The best part, however, was that there was a chapter on "Canceling the Wedding." The first tip in the list that the author enumerated was to tell your fiance. Because you know, most people decide they don't want to get married and call all of the vendors first and let the groom be the only one who shows up on the big day.
But... the best line of all in the whole book regarded the deposits you've plopped down with the vendors. First the author suggested having a friend or relative who's getting married transfer the deposits into their name. But, her second suggestion was, and this is quoted verbatim, "Ask how long these businesses will keep your deposits "active". Perhaps the next time you get engaged you can use their services."
WHAT!!! Is perhaps what you're thinking, and was indeed what I thought as well. Because, you know, as soon as you stop planning one wedding your immediate next thought is, "where's the next man I can get my hands on, because gosh darn it, I just can't be out the thousand dollars I put down in deposits." The time line for how long your deposits can be active makes for a wonderful, pressure free, re-entrance into the single world and is most certainly good incentive for being oh so much more careful about your choice for a fiance considering the reasons the author gives for canceling the wedding include "you love the idea of a wedding, but don't care too much for the groom" and "perhaps the groom has wandering eyes or has emotionally or physically abused you, or is a criminal." I don't know though, I always thought a man being a criminal was kind of sexy. Also, if you're wondering, if the reasons you're canceling the wedding are the latter you can keep that four carat engagement ring, but if it's the former you better be ready to give it back baby.
Now, back to figuring out what colors exactly match the green of the grass at Clermont and the muddy blue of the Hudson River.....
In a fit of bridal related enthusiasm and excitement over finally getting a public library card I took out two books on weddings from the library and recently finished both. The first was "One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding". This book was extremely interesting and details the modern American wedding's origins and consumer culture. My favorite line from the book was a quote from a clergyman in which he stated that he hates the "narcissistic cleavage culture" that characterizes the modern wedding. It certainly made me rethink many of the choices I've been contemplating about the wedding and had me take a step back to reexamine what it is I really want and what a wedding is about.
On a funnier note, the second book was the "K.I.S.S. Guide to Planning a Wedding" . I only ended up flipping through this one because, even though it was published in 2003, the author talked about not wearing shoulder pads in the wedding gown if you have broad shoulders and all of the pictures looked like they were straight from the mid eighties. Also, reading this one after "One Perfect Day" was probably a poor choice on my part. The best part, however, was that there was a chapter on "Canceling the Wedding." The first tip in the list that the author enumerated was to tell your fiance. Because you know, most people decide they don't want to get married and call all of the vendors first and let the groom be the only one who shows up on the big day.
But... the best line of all in the whole book regarded the deposits you've plopped down with the vendors. First the author suggested having a friend or relative who's getting married transfer the deposits into their name. But, her second suggestion was, and this is quoted verbatim, "Ask how long these businesses will keep your deposits "active". Perhaps the next time you get engaged you can use their services."
WHAT!!! Is perhaps what you're thinking, and was indeed what I thought as well. Because, you know, as soon as you stop planning one wedding your immediate next thought is, "where's the next man I can get my hands on, because gosh darn it, I just can't be out the thousand dollars I put down in deposits." The time line for how long your deposits can be active makes for a wonderful, pressure free, re-entrance into the single world and is most certainly good incentive for being oh so much more careful about your choice for a fiance considering the reasons the author gives for canceling the wedding include "you love the idea of a wedding, but don't care too much for the groom" and "perhaps the groom has wandering eyes or has emotionally or physically abused you, or is a criminal." I don't know though, I always thought a man being a criminal was kind of sexy. Also, if you're wondering, if the reasons you're canceling the wedding are the latter you can keep that four carat engagement ring, but if it's the former you better be ready to give it back baby.
Now, back to figuring out what colors exactly match the green of the grass at Clermont and the muddy blue of the Hudson River.....