Imaginary Romance: Bridesmaids and The White Wedding

INTRODUCTION:  Throughout American history weddings have been an integral part of our cultural experience, however women have always received the short end of the stick in these arrangements. It wasn’t long ago that women were expected to marry at a young age because the only jobs available were for men, so a single woman in America had no hope of being able to support herself unless she found a husband. In this paper I will use the film  Bridesmaids  to analyze the financial and psychological burden planning a wedding takes on women, and how society has come to normalize the extreme stress experienced during the wedding planning process by all women involved. First I will examine the relationship between current hegemonic social expectations and The White Wedding, particularly how these expectations impact women within American society. Secondly I will assess the financial implications of marriage on women, as well on couple’s relationship longevity in relation to nuptial debt stress

Genevra, Pagan Wedding  I just think that part of why I can't figure out how to answer you is because, when I really think about it I see that I haven't really had non traditional weddings. I mean they look that way from the outside because of themes or whatever but the idea is really still the same. Maybe I'm over simplifying. Carmen, Wedding #2 Being 49 years old and after a 22 years break between marriage s(one that was the traditional, long white gown church wedding), I wanted an outdoors, non religious wedding. Since all my family was in Miami I choose that as the City. The problem was it was 1993 and Miami had not recuperated from 1992 hurricane Andrew. The only place I could find pretty enough was The Falls shopping mall which had newly planted palm trees and a beautiful pond with a perfect deck over it for the ceremony. So, with my to be husband and my family standing there,and my cousin being the Justice of the Peace, I walked down some steps, following my nie

     In order to gain support from women the wedding industry, "Recognizing that many independent women might bristle at the extravagant, irrational edicts, the wedding complex has recast the bride as fullfilling her unconscious dream as a child, one who believes in fairy tales and who needs to be told what to do" (Arend, 2016). Women are taught to aspire to their wedding day, because that will be the most important day of their lives. Yet, Research done comparing the incomes of women who marry before the age of 20, and women who marry after age 30 show that there is a mean difference of $20,000 dollars a year between the two groups.      The article Want to Earn More Money?Get Married Later.  states, “Women with college degrees who waited until after age 30 to get married earn significantly more than college-educated women who married at younger ages. Whereas those who married before age 20 report an average annual income of just over $30,000, those who married at 30 or l

     The cost of weddings have drastically inflated over the course of history, according to Unraveling The Knot: Political Economy and Cultural Hegemony in Wedding Media, "The U.S. bridal industry is estimated at between $50 and $70 billion annually; the potential for this market is huge: Nearly 2.4 million marriages are performed each year. The investment of money and time that goes into the traditional wedding, with the average "big" wedding costing some $20,000, makes it not only a major event, but also a major expense for those starting married life; more than half of couples who choose to hold a wedding pay for it all themselves, which can lead to starting their married life in debt" (Engstrom, 2008). With more couples paying for their own weddings, the financial strain that paying for a large scale event is tangible.      In a recent study, it has been shown that there is a correlation between high nuptial costs and marriage longevity. According to ' A D

    The scene where Lillian tells Annie she is engaged and wants Annie to be her Maid of Honor perfectly embodies how that particular scenario often plays out in real life. You see Lillian's excitement as she begins to tell Annie Doug's proposal, and Annie begins to have an onslaught of anxiety. Her life has begun to fall apart, she's broke, and now her best friend is getting married. I had a similar reaction when I was asked to be a Maid of Honor, I am not a fan of weddings, and I felt pressure to play this particular role because I love my friend.       When women are asked to be in weddings, they usually say yes, then become frustrated with the responsibilities that come with their commitment. According to  easyweddings.com , " Some brides will have many events and activities leading up to their wedding day and, often, the bridesmaids will put in money here or there for particular things. For example, the bride may have an engagement party, a bridal shower an