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#Post#: 104--------------------------------------------------
Mature Bride Guide: A Review of The Wedding Guide for the
Grownup Bride By Shell
DIR By: Davidson2
Date: December 15, 2012, 9:56 am
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As we age, our perspective on life often changes too. So does
our take on weddings.
A wedding for a 40-year old bride is generally a much different
species than one for a twenty-something. It’s probably smaller,
and less of a production. And chances are, it was planned in a
shorter period of time. But that doesn’t mean a mature bride
doesn’t need a place to turn to help plan her wedding.
Shelly Christiansen’s The Wedding Guide for the Grownup Bride is
a good resource for mature brides who are looking for a planner
that addresses the issues that many older brides face – whether
they are marrying for the first time, or having a second
wedding.
Christiansen writes in a style that is fun and conversational.
Throughout the book, she discusses her own wedding at the age of
46 to a man who has been previously married.
Along with wedding planning tips, Christiansen delves into
marital issues and offers advice on everything from how to merge
two real grownup lives, to dealing with exes, in-laws and steps.
Christiansen discusses some of the obstacles she faced while
planning her grownup wedding and how her perspective was much
different than that of the young brides targeted by the wedding
industry.
She writes: “To us mid-life brides …the ceremony is just that –
a moment. It’s a fleeting ritual at the threshold of the real
deal. The ultimate point is to be married, not get married.”
Still, there’s a guest list involved, a wedding dress, a
reception and lots more in between. Christiansen helps grown up
brides navigate through the foreign land of tulle and twinkle
lights with practical tips and a sense of humor.
At the end of each chapter, Christiansen offers words of advice
for mature brides. Although they are at times helpful, they are
best read with the knowledge that they are simply one woman’s
opinion – not the gospel truth. And it’s an opinion from a bride
who had a traditional wedding – albeit a small one.
Even though Christiansen stresses that mature brides tend to
care less about frivolous details and aren’t as concerned about
the opinion of others, the author’s wedding had many of the
expected traditions one would find at a twenty-something
wedding. She still opts for the white wedding dress that can
never be worn again, a wedding cake, and the gift registry
(which she says no bride should do without.) She splurges on a
photographer and flowers, and opts for traditional wedding vows.
There are a few traditions that she leaves out - like the
bouquet toss, garter toss and the army of bridal attendants, but
they’re not huge diversions from convention.
Mature brides who have a more unconventional approach to their
wedding day might be at odds with some of the content in the
book. In the chapter on beauty, for instance, the author
explains how for two months prior to her wedding she ingested no
nuts, chocolate, or anything fried in an attempt to have good
skin for her wedding. Some mature brides might view this as a
little absurd.
Overall, the book is a worthwhile read for anyone over the age
of 40 who plans to tie the knot – especially if they are of the
more traditional ilk.
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