The Incredible Shrinking Bride

As someone in the field of wedding photography in Fort Myers http://leapyearphoto.com I do think this is the norm... at least not at this level.

I like looking at the older pictures when two went dressed in their sunday best and got married at the justice of the peace. The two piece outfit for the bride complete with hat and a suit and tie for the husband. Truly simple, knowing what they wanted out of life and ready to begin it together.

Nowadays more than half of all marriages end in divorce, and one reason may be because too much planning and emphasis is put on the wedding and not enough on making the marriage work. I have been through two disastrous marriages, and I can tell you truthfully that the hard part comes after the wedding, when two individuals try to live together as husband and wife and put up with each other's faults and habits. Additionally, the actual wedding takes only a few minutes, so it is ridiculous to spend that much time and money planning for it. Getting married is the easy part; working at making the marriage is the difficult part. I had an aunt and uncle who went to the courthouse and got married, and they were married for 57 years, up until my uncle died. The type of wedding you have and the amount of time and money spent planning it has nothing to do with whether or not the marriage will work out. I also agree with P. J. Ledbetter: the guy asked the girl to marry him when she looked less than perfect, so why does she feel like she has to look perfect for a 15-minute wedding?

RE: WEDDINGS IN GENERAL

Women please keep in mind that the wedding industry is a BILLION dollar business. Similar to buying a car, or any other business transaction, their goal is to get you to seperate you from as much of your money as possible on every minute detail surrounding your wedding day. If you are rolling in it (meaning money, ) cool, do your thing. If you are like most Americans on a budget, be smart and approach it with the mindset of your wedding being a business transaction between you and every vendor. Think of the day of your wedding as a celebration and at the end of it you get a fabulous groom (yes, remember him???)

Remember, as long as at the end of the day you get your groom (he already likes you, remember he asked you to marry him or if vice versa, he said yes to you) which is the point of the wedding in the first place right???? Then you win!

We worry too much about what others have to say about what we're doing. Listen to what God says about you in His word - That you are fearfully and wonderfully made!

Peace be unto you,

Signed, Michelle in Westchester

Wake up my fellow women! We are all beautiful creatures made by God. A few wrinkles, a few laugh lines, a few extra pounds...why care? I mean, your husband-to-be asked you to marry him when you had these things, so why attempt such extremes before the wedding? People will notice and remember a person's smile more often than a couple of wrinkles, extral five pounds or what you wore. Do not fall for the "plastic" world. Be you, be happy, be real and smile!

Wake up my fellow women! We are all beautiful creatures made by God. A few wrinkles, a few laugh lines, a few extra pounds...why care? I mean, your husband-to-be asked you to marry him when you had these things, so why attempt such extremes before the wedding? People will notice and remember a person's smile more often than a couple of wrinkles, extral five pounds or what you wore. Do not fall for the "plastic" world. Be you, be happy, be real and smile!

ok, and beautiful was a typo, too

ps. sorry, that should have said Brides NOT rides... obviously

I don't believe bridezillas exist in all rides to be - I can't be the only woman who did her own makeup and hair on her wedding day and didn't even consider tanning, weight loss or botox of all things. The best part: my husband and I had a beutiful wedding on a cliff at sunset and it cost a couple of hundred dollars (and we were able to shortly thereafter buy a house as we had not wasted that money on a single day, that few would remember but us).

Personally I can't stand such public displays and think it is some type of need that is not being met. Engagements that are done on TV, ball games, bill boards are so rude, how does a girl say no in that position. It should be done romantically and privately. Are those very men that do ask so publicly seeking attention or aleviating a risk she would say no. I would love to see one say No, it would be sad but would make the next one stop and think. Weddings are also out of control for one day we are breeding Bridzella's.
I seriously would reconsider marrying a girl that wanted all this attenion on herself for one day. What happens when they go home and have to resume a regular day to day lifestyle.

Another self centered witch headed for a divorce like half or all marriages.

A woman who goes to extreme lengths to get married is probably not worth marrying. Expect this person to be divorced like about half of all marriages. This is a self-centered person or a dope who hires a wedding planner. For the rich and stupid this is acceptable. For the rest of us, you would be more sensible to use the money after marriage for something you need.

What a sad article! The reason these brides are so obsessed is that they've lost sight of the real purpose of a wedding - to join together a man and a woman as lifelong partners before God. It's not about looking good, it's about making a lifelong commitment. Sadly, many of these women have also been living with their fiances as if they were already married, so the importance of the marriage ceremony is drastically reduced and so the emphasis becomes focused on making the day perfect. May these brides turn back to the god who created them as they are and learn instead to be excellent wives, rather than perfect looking ones.

Here's my lovestory. I'm almost 30 now and I married my gorgeous guy when I was 20. We spent about $1000 total on the wedding ($800 was the dress). It was held in the front yard of the house we were moving into after we married. I can't tell you how many people commented on how beautiful and nice the wedding was. That's because it was about 2 people who love each ohter commiting themselves for life! My husband even cried because he was so overwhelmed with joy and emotion. To this day I wouldn't change a thing. I think women all wnat to feel special but they lose focus of the most important thing: the love between them and their fiance.

I'm almost 30 now and I married my gorgeous guy when I was 20. We spent about $1000 total on the wedding ($800 was the dress). It was held in the front yard of the house we were moving into after we married. I can't tell you how many people commented on how beautiful and nice the wedding was. That's because it was about 2 people who love each ohter commiting themselves for life! My husband even cried because he was so overwhelmed with joy and emotion. To this day I wouldn't change a thing. I think women all wnat to feel special but they lose focus of the most important thing: the love between them and their fiance. P.S. Remember: for better or worse, rich or poor, why waste money you could put to better use.

I'm almost 30 now and I married my gorgeous guy when I was 20. We spent about $1000 total on the wedding ($800 was the dress). It was held in the front yard of the house we were moving into after we married. I can't tell you how many people commented on how beautiful and nice the wedding was. That's because it was about 2 people who love each ohter commiting themselves for life! My husband even cried because he was so overwhelmed with joy and emotion. To this day I wouldn't change a thing. I think women all wnat to feel special but they lose focus of the most important thing: the love between them and their fiance. P.S. Remember: for better or worse, rich or poor, why waste money you could put to better use.

As a minister who performs weddings, it breaks my heart to see brides who seemed so healthy and grounded when we meet for their prenuptial counseling, who then appear as shadows of themselves on their wedding day. I try to emphasize that a healthy marriage begins with two honest faces making promises to each other, and that these beauty treatments are the equivalent of masks, but it is still so sad when a woman's self esteem becomes so damaged she feels she needs to hide her natural self from her groom. In recent years, I have noticed a disturbing trend of the same feelings of aesthetic inadequacy being expressed by grooms, too, but never to the extent that brides report these feelings to me. Very sad, and so very unnecessary.