The Winds of Change are Blowing

At the heart of every marriage is a ceremony that marks its inception and celebrates the bond between a man and woman.  Each culture has its own traditions used to embark upon marriage, but in essence the basics are the same—the finite details are the variable.  The ceremony has traditionally been held in the church of the couple’s choosing and presided over by an individual with the legal authority to marry people—typically a minister from the couple’s church or a Justice of the Peace.  The ceremony also includes the exchanging of vows as well as rings to signify the couple’s love for each other.  The traditional Judeo-Christian weddings of mid-twentieth century America have been increasingly replaced by elaborate celebrations that are more fashion than function.  Over the course of the past sixty years the traditional wedding has evolved, reflecting the shift in values and demographics found in our society.
  
Thanks to the influence of pop-culture, weddings have become a flourishing industry.  In the 1950’s, weddings were usually a simple affair that was very traditional and followed the framework that had been established— a church, a minister, a white dress, and the company of one’s closest family and friends to witness the moment.  The simplicity of the past has changed, and today Americans spend $40 billion annually(Wedding Industry Statistics) on their ceremonies and the planning leading up to the big day.  The idea of a fairy-tale wedding has been glamorized by the media and wedding industry, encouraging more women to want that elusive Cinderella moment.  Horse-drawn carriages, luxurious dresses, exotic locales, lavish decorations, and extravagant diamond rings have become common-place in wedding festivities.  Much of the explosion in size and stature of weddings can be attributed to society’s need to keep up with the Joneses.  The media fuels the idea that bigger is better with television shows such as Platinum Weddings, Bridezilla, Four Weddings, and Say Yes to the Dress, where the focus becomes more about the end result and the experience of the moment rather than the true purpose of the celebration—the joining of the two lives.  The wedding industry has created jobs such as wedding planners, custom cake designers, and custom floral designers that are supported by the need to create the elaborate ceremonies and exquisite touches.  Not only is there a number of reality shows that are based on the work of wedding planners, Bride’s Television is an entire network devoted to wedding planning and the events leading up to that big day.  A recent survey found that half of all brides now plan on using a wedding coordinator in preparing for their wedding(Wedding Industry Statistics).  The decadent touches of weddings have become more expensive than ever before, shifting away from the simpler ceremonies of the Eisenhower era.
  
The last sixty years have seen a sizable shift in demographics in this country which is reflected in wedding ceremonies.  In the fifties, when a woman was walking down the aisle, the man she was walking towards would be a direct reflection of who she was.  If she were African-American, then typically so was he, and if she were Caucasian, then the odds were that he was as well.  People did not typically marry outside of their cultural, ethnic, social or religious borders.  However, the boundaries have blurred, and these homogeneous marriage ceremonies do not occur as frequently.  In David Brooks’ essay, “Our Sprawling, Supersize Utopia,” the author examines the makeup of suburban America and notes the diversity that has come to fruition.  Brooks observes that “One out of nine people in America was born in a foreign country”(186).  The influx of citizens from different cultures has diminished the role of the Judeo-Christian wedding ceremony, customary of the fifties.  When cultures meet to form a union, traits from each become evident in the couple’s life and are reflected at the time of marriage as well.  The traditional tuxedo suit may be replaced by a piece of clothing called a Barong Tagalog if the groom is Filipino, the ceremony could become an array of bright colors if the wedding reflects the Indian culture, or the bride could be covered in heavy white makeup to symbolize her purity if she is following a Japanese tradition.  When a bride is waltzing down the aisle, it is no longer an expected societal norm that her husband-to-be is carved from the same mold as she.  The makeup of our country has altered from a predominately white society to a more diverse population.  Weddings are reflective of the change in society, forging unions between men and women of all races, religions, and social classes, breaking down boundaries of the past but adding to the colorfulness of each celebration.
  
Although the traditional ceremony has changed drastically over the years, there are still many elements that have endured.  At the heart of every wedding there is an exchanging of vows, rings, and two people making a commitment to spend the rest of their lives as one.  The basic framework of marriage is still in place today—the vows.  Whether the couple is eloping, having a ceremony at city hall or an elaborate gala event, the pledging of one individual to the other till death do us part remains an integral part of the ceremony.  They may be customized to reflect the couple’s individuality but that traditional element remains.  The ring has evolved from just a simple gold band to, in many cases, an elaborate array of platinum and diamonds, but still the symbol remains the same—that of eternity.  Finally, while the two standing before each other committing themselves to love and cherish each other for a lifetime look different than they did during the days of Ward and June Cleaver, they are still the centerpiece of the wedding.  Weddings have evolved, mirroring the changes in society, but what lies at the heart of the moment remains unchanged.
  
Over the course of time, the traditional wedding has evolved, reflecting the characteristics and demographics of modern society, yet all the while preserving its fundamental integrity.  Weddings have lost traditional qualities but have gained a richness that was missing before.  Our society has been liberated and allowed to break form from the traditional Judeo-Christian ceremony of the 1950’s, allowing each couple to express their individuality.  An industry has sprouted, creating jobs, and locations such as Las Vegas and Hawaii can attribute part of their tourism industry to these unique wedding ceremonies.  The shifting of demographics has ceased to restrict one’s choice in partner and is evidenced in the diversity of wedding ceremonies.  The cost and showiness that has become an increasingly common phenomenon has come with a price, though.  Although the shift is not solely responsible for the spike in bankruptcies and fifty percent divorce rate, it has helped chisel away at the rock that marriage once represented.  Weddings are a way to celebrate the joining of two people for a lifetime of commitment, and although the tradition has been altered to reflect changes in our society, a wedding will remain the integral event in uniting two people, until death do they part, now and into the future.

Works Cited

Brooks, David.  “Our Sprawling, Supersize Utopia.”  Remix.  2nd Ed.  Catherine G.     Latterell.    Boston/New York:  Bedford/St. Martin’s,  2010.  184-192.

“Wedding Industry Statistics.”  Sell More Weddings. 2010.  23 May 2010 .
http://www.sellmoreweddings.com/wedding_industry_statistics.html