Strictly Business

“I think that everyone should
get married at least once, so you
can see what a silly, outdated
institution it is.”
—Madonna
(presumably before her sumptuous
wedding to Guy Ritchie in December 2000)

We tend these days to get
married at a later age than in previous
decades. The average age of a bride in
the 1950s was somewhere in her early 20s. In
2006 it was 27, with many first time brides waiting
until their early to mid 30s or even later to walk
down the aisle. What seemed relevant in terms of
etiquette and financial responsibility during much
of the 20th century now seems passé. Still, when it
comes to weddings, we like to adhere to tradition,
although we would argue that the opulence and
conspicuous consumerism practiced by many
brides today is hardly traditional; couples marrying
in previous decades would never have dreamed of
incurring debt for their wedding festivities, while
today we take it for granted that no expense is too
great on this one day.
We’ll outline for you in this chapter what’s considered
proper along with how things are actually
happening in the 21st century (and point out some
historical facts to help explain how our current
“traditions” came to be). These days, the father of
the bride, who traditionally footed the bill for the
entire wedding, may have long since sunk his life
savings into a motor home and hit the road in
search of adventure. The bride’s mother, who in
the past had the responsibility for planning the
ceremony and reception, issuing invitations, and
hiring a photographer, is traveling with him, likely
accompanied by a small dog dressed in a sweater.
Meanwhile, the bride is earning a six-figure income
of her own. The result is that the traditions of who
pays for what have, in reality, been greatly modified.