My thoughts on weddings

Before I start writing this, I don't want anyone that knows me to get any ideas about anything based on this post's topic, it's just a simple observation so I don't wanna hear anything stupid!

I've been looking through some wedding magazines and banquet websites recently and was kind of disturbed at what I saw. It was not until I began to analyze these artifacts that I realized how much weddings have been turned into the bride's special day. Advertisements for banquet halls contain messages such as "we make your special day even better!" and "after all...it is all about you!", with a picture of a happy bride front and center. Now, forgive me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that marriage required two people. Maybe I missed something.

Now don't get me wrong, I realize that some men have no desire to be involved in the wedding process, and may even prefer to get eloped, but I know for a fact that some men want to feel involved in their own wedding. Many grooms get caught up in media portrayals of men as uninterested and even bored by wedding planning and weddings themselves, and therefore try to live up that portrayal. But for the men that aren't caught up in those portrayals, the ones who want to be involved in almost every facet of the process, where is the support for them? Instead of supporting those men, these magazines and banquet websites seem to perpetuate the stereotype that weddings are for the bride. And to top it off, once you choose a place to wed, the accommodations for the bride and groom are vastly different. One website showed a bridal suite equipped with a bed, television, vanity area, and other amenities, with room for all of the bridesmaids. The groom's room looked like a tiny lounge no bigger than a bathroom, with a few barstools and a television (to tune into ESPN I suppose). The tag line might as well have read: "Bring a few beers, and you can act like you're at a sports bar instead of your wedding!"

I'm definitely all for having a bridal suite and catering to the bride's needs, but I would also like to see that the groom's needs are being met as well. Not all men are beer-bellied cavemen who are more worried about their fantasy-baseball scores than attending their weddings. Some men feel that their wedding is one of the most special days in their lives, and may value it even more than the bride. Planning and budgeting a wedding can be extremely stressful, and it would just be nice to have support and inclusion for both the bride and groom. After all, they are both the stars of the show.