The American Way Of Weddings Essay, Research Paper

The American Way of Weddings

In our society many youngsters are having sex before marriage. It has become such a regular occurrence that many people no longer deem it commonplace. Rather than promote abstinence many people spend their time promoting “safe sex.” It is a fact, that many youngsters have come to the conclusion that marriage is not for them. They feel that it may only end up in divorce, so why even bother. But, when two people are in love and decide to get married it can be one of the most beautiful things in the world. Deciding to get married is a very serious decision. There are may aspects of life that one has to pay attention to when making such a decision. They are the emotional aspect, the mental aspect, and the financial aspect.

“To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, ’till death do us part.” These are the vows that a man and a woman take to become married. But even before they take these vows they have to focus on all three of the aspects of life and marriage that are mentioned. One of the most important is the financial aspect. The American way of weddings can leave many young couples in debt before they even start a life together. The simplicity and magic of a wedding that once was, has now been turned into tiresome and lengthy planning and praying that everything turns out right. That magic that once belonged to the couple-to-be, now belongs to the wedding industry.

On average Americans spend anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 on a weddings. No longer is it just the bride and groom, and few of their family and friends. Now a wedding can consist of anywhere from 75 to 188 guests. The bride has a maid of honor, brides maids and a flower girl. The groom has his best man, his ushers, and a ring bearer.And many more family anf friends are invites; take into consideration that a caterer usually costs $75 per person. The bride no longer wears her grandmother’s old dress, she now has to buy a dress which can cost up to $1,175. In the past everyone would take pictures and you being the sweet couple would pick the best one’s. Nowadays you need a professional photographer which can costs about $3,000 and a professional videographer which can costs about $850. An engagement ring can be about $2,760 or more, the bride and groom’s wedding rings can come up to about $1,110 or more ( all of these facts are according to Modern Bride magazine). After mentioning all of these things there are still other so called parts of an American wedding. They are the renting of the church and hall for the reception, the renting of the limo’s, and the honeymoon, which by itself is certainly not cheap.

Many times couple don’t want to spend this much money, but they do. They feel that they must conform to the norm of American weddings. In these days a wedding must be “perfect.” And in order to do so it must be expensive. The bride must look like a princess, so she tries to get the best which is usually more expensive. The groom tries to get his bride the most beautiful engagement ring. Which means that the ring must be 24 karat gold and have a couple of carats in the diamonds. Usually when the bride goes to buy her gown she wants something ” nice, beautiful, and simple.” But, when she arrives at the store the retailer persuades her to get something more extravagant; this means that it will be more expensive. They may lead her to believe that someone who comes to her wedding may look better than her. This makes her want to go to any extent to look good , which she will anyway, even if it means that she has to spend what she doesn’t have. As for the groom, he goes into the jeweler to buy a beautiful, but simple ring. Until the retailer tells him that the bride and her father will be expecting a much nicer ring. Or, maybe that the brides friends are going to “tease” her if she has a flimsy looking engagement ring. So he in turn does the same thing as his bride-to-be. There is still the issue of the cake. After being compelled to get a more expensive ring and dress they both know that the cake has to be just as extravagant. So, they may opt for a cake with much more layers. It may be shocking but this is just a small piece of the money pie that they’re going to have to give away.

Many different establishments have gained off of these so called “modern weddings.” One of them is the magazine industry . There are many different magazines about weddings that can be bought at any newsstand. Magazines such as Elegant Bride, Weddings World, Bridal Guide, and one of the most popular is Modern Bride. There is even computer software, one in particular is called Bride’s Mate. Another establishment that has prospered off of weddings is the television and move establishment. Many movies are brought out based on weddings. One of the most recent is called The Bachelor. Some others are Runaway Bride, Father of the Bride, and Four Weddings and a Funeral, all of which consist mainly of comedy.

The American way of weddings no longer brings only joy and happiness. It is also accompanied by a great deal of stress and financial distress. But, I guess as long as the joy and happiness are there then the wedding and the money was worth it.