Avoiding the "War"

I love weddings. I'm particularly excited about mine, but I love all of them. I love silly ones, serious ones, off-beat ones, all sorts. I read far too many wedding blogs, I go to wedding expos for fun, I adore Martha Stewart Wedding.

And yet, I have absolutely no interest in seeing Bride Wars. None. At all.

The plot of the film is that two best friends, who have dreamed of their wedding at the Plaza in June all their lives, accidentally schedule their wedding for the same day. "Funny" things ensue.

I couldn't put my finger on what, exactly, I loathed about this wedding movie before I even saw it. I think it was a combination of the cattiness, the selfishness, the seeming absence of the grooms in the preview, the whole tone of the movie.

I read the review for the movie in the New York Times, because I do that with movies I am confident I don't want to see and like to feel vindicated when smart people also hate that movie (even though they're making an informed critical judgement and I'm just being judgmental).

“Bride Wars” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). Dangerous acts of consumerism.

I giggled to myself. The ratings blurb at the bottom of NYT reviews are always one of my favorite parts, mostly because I'm a nerd. But it hit the nail on the head. This movie was all about dreams of a wedding at the plaza with the big dress, best spray tan, biggest bouquet. It barely mentioned the grooms, let alone the entire concept of marriage.

And then it hit me. This movie isn't about marriage, it's just about the two weddings of two very silly women. Two women who have a completely different view of their wedding than I do. Not that I wouldn't love a June wedding at the Plaza with all the splendor that comes with it. But that's not the point. The point is that we are going to be surrounded by the people who love us as we pledge ourselves and our lives to each other and create a new family. I love futzing with the flowers, picking out pretty dresses, looking at limos, but in the end, at least for me anyway, that's not the point at all.

I can flip past the opulent dresses and over the top centerpieces in Martha Stewart Weddings and simply admire them for their beauty. Maybe I can do the same with the main characters of this movie. Maybe...