Instead of starting out the school year with wise and witty tips to make the year memorable, I am choosing not to ignore the elephant in the room: Kim Kardashian’s wedding. Although not all UA students are pop culture fiends, with the amount of media coverage the Kardashian-Humphries wedding received, it is hard to overlook. I find myself wondering how any other wedding, excluding the wedding of Prince William of Wales to Catherine Middleton, could be considered legitimate.
With more than 450 guests ranging from Stevie Wonder to Lindsay Lohan, a rumored $150,000 going toward hair and makeup, and a ring worth $2 million, the Kardashians have given a new meaning to marriage. While nothing less was expected from Kim K., who we have watched trying to get hitched for years on E!, her wedding is a 20.5 carat example of how marital vows are becoming lost in the materialism of weddings.
Just about every man or woman can say that he or she has thought about his or her wedding at least a couple times while growing up. The details probably included a happy couple on their happiest day with all close family and friends watching. Since our culture is fascinated with lavish expenses and “shock value,” watching and desiring for the best is contagious.
Watching Kim change into three gowns during her wedding is definitely shocking but also thought provoking. Is she not happy enough with her marriage in one gown? Personally, I would not want to waste any precious moments changing into multiple gowns on the one day where it is okay to have all the attention on me. I certainly wouldn’t want to force my husband into more than one tuxedo.
If it was Kim’s lifelong wedding dream to have three gown changes that is great, give the girl what she wants. The bottom line is that weddings are losing their value.
What used to be a union between two people to seal their love for eternity now means nothing when triple-decker cakes, ice sculptures, guest lists, and carats are involved. Wedding ceremonies have always been a big celebration but there is a fine line being crossed.
The wedding details become the most significant issue during an engagement, completely killing the romance. The dream of a long, happy life together can be instantly shattered by an argument over the reception’s entrée, or what type of flowers will be lining the aisle. Unfortunately, the hopeless romantics do not stand a chance in a world where flower choices are more important than the actual sentiment of a marriage.
Seeing so many of my friends become engaged soon after they take a sip of their first legal beer has led to me to assume that getting engaged is simply one step after becoming official on Facebook.
Becoming engaged today means immediately answering questions about setting the date and who is in the wedding party. Weddings have become a way to prove the relationship and not to become a union.
I know I’ll be thinking about my own wedding when I watch the Kardashian-Humphries wedding special. I can only pray that I’m focused on a life with my future husband and not worrying about the red roses that will be splattered across the alter.
— Caroline Nachazel is a junior studying journalism and communications. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
