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weddings: Notes on nuptials.

Wholly MatrimonySlate's wedding issue.


Updated Tuesday, June 12, 2007, at 12:01 PM ET
Illustration by Alex Eben Meyer. Click image to expand.

You may sigh when wedding invitations arrive, uneager to forsake your vacation days for a jaunt to Winfield, Kan. And you may feel as though the modern four-day nuptial extravaganza has become a larger production than your average Hollywood blockbuster. But only the most ardent cynic doesn't get a touch misty-eyed when watching a couple say, "I do." Weddings have been an enduring source of inspiration for everyone from Shakespeare to Sandler, and over the next two days, we're devoting our attention to them in Slate.

Emily Yoffe kicks off our wedding issue, decrying the Bridezillas who suffer from what she calls "my day" syndrome: "The first time a bride-to-be utters the words 'my day,' " she writes, "I recommend potential bridesmaids and grooms respond, 'Mayday.' " Eliza Truitt makes the case for the old-fashioned wedding portraits that so many couples eschew today in favor of a "photojournalistic" approach—photos of the couple taking, say, an "impromptu" romp in a fountain. Meghan O'Rourke explains why engagement rings make no sense in a post-feminist world, and Troy Patterson explains how to throw the ultimate bachelor party for the modern gentleman. Sara Dickerman offers up her advice on the essential kitchen items for any bridal registry. We'll also have Regina Schrambling on why the food at weddings is so wretched, Daniel Gross on mercenary brides, and Michael Levenson reviewing Katie Roiphe's new book, Uncommon Arrangements: Seven Portraits of Married Life in London Literary Circles 1910-1939. We hope you enjoy the issue.

Monday
"Run Away, Groom! Prudie's advice for how to tame the bride from hell," by Emily Yoffe. Posted June 11, 2007.

"Say Cheese: A defense of traditional wedding photography," by Eliza Truitt. Posted June 11, 2007.

"Diamonds Are a Girl's Worst Friend: The trouble with engagement rings," by Meghan O'Rourke. Posted June 11, 2007

"Too Many Gadgets Spoil the Kitchen: The essential bridal registry list," by Sara Dickerman. Posted June 11, 2007.

"The Thinking Man's Guide to Bachelor Parties: Whom to invite, where to have it, and more," by Troy Patterson. Posted June 11, 2007.

Tuesday
"Soulless Food: Why is what's served at weddings so wretched?" by Regina Schrambling. Posted June 12, 2007.

"In Defense of Greedy Brides: There's nothing wrong with asking for cash as a wedding gift," by Daniel Gross. Posted June 12, 2007.

"Marital Upstarts: Sobering lessons from revolutionary marriages," by Michael Chase-Levenson. Posted June 12, 2007.

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Illustration by Alex Eben Meyer.
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