Argh - Celebrity Weddings

This article may become a little "sour" for being a piece on weddings, but I simply feel I need to let off some steam over celebrity weddings. Personally I am starting to think that the hysterical media coverage of well known people's social lives is starting to affect a sacred institution like marriage in a very much negative way. Naturally famous people can marry anyone they like, when they like - but why make such a fuss about it?! And why do some magazines and reporters have a real "talent" for predicting weddings between celebrities that have been seeing each other for barely a week. Since when has that been a solid base on wish to build a stable marriage?!

I am also rather annoyed by all the people that clamor for photos from celebrity weddings. What did she wear? What did he wear? Who was invited to attend the ceremony? What did they say as their vows?  What food did celebrity A spill over celebrity B's dress at the reception? Who the heck cares anyway?!  This country’s unquenchable thirst for news and gossip on celebrities is allowing Hollywood and the media to debase everything sacred in our society and turn it all into a huge joke. But still, there is an upside in all of that.

Pay attention to serious celebrity weddings

Although I made some strong feelings known above I must confess that, for a person as interested in weddings as me, it can indeed be a source of inspiration to see what other people do with their weddings - and this occasionally includes the weddings of celebrities. It is not the gossip I am after however.

I find that the celebrity weddings that are usually referred to as a "quiet little ceremony with no media or fans" are the marriages in Hollywood that survive the longest. When there are no photographers present, flying in on helicopters to get that one great shot for The Enquirer, or when the wedding reception is not covered by CNN, then I see the resulting marriage as having a chance of lasting longer than a few weeks.

The scoopmentality is really not always the fault of the celebrities, in reality the majority of the fault can lie with the media.  But the people that really keep this circus going are the American public and their never ending love affair with celebrity worship.

Consider that the celebrities really are trying to have a quiet wedding and maybe they really do try and keep everything as under wraps as possible. If that is the case, then what is the reason for the paparazzi hiding in the trees trying to take pictures of the bride as she walks down the aisle? If you ask me, it is probably the millions of people in America that just cannot seem to get enough news on celebrities.

Journalists just give the public what they want, right?

There is however a prevailing attitude among many journalists that "we helped build your career, so now you have pay us back and be there whenever we need you for an intriguing story". This, I find, is a terribly cynical way to look at things.

The fixation with knowing every little detail in a celebrity’s life has to make some celebrities claustrophobic after a while.  Just because a celebrity makes their money by entertaining the public does not mean that all celebrities are forced to be entertainment every waking moment of their lives. After all, they are just people as well.

A more informal alternative: Country weddings