Love in the 90's: Getting from here to there
Weddings
by Nicole O'Bleanis

The tears. No one can ever forget the tears. Weddings have a peculiar habit of moving the most unmovable soul, breaking the most unbreakable heart and causing the most rigid, concrete person to romp into a rousing chorus of “Here Comes the Bride.”

And that’s before the bride walks down the aisle.

Dum dum da dum. Dum dum da dum.

Just the thought of wedding music, blushing brides, nervous grooms and 10 layer cakes is enough to bring a smile to the mind and hope to the heart.

Back in the days, Barbie was the only one who could afford to have it all: the $3,000 bridal gown with puffed sleeves; the fashionable reception where men in crisp white jackets serve caviar and pate; and a wedding ring the size of a small child. But now that Barbie has found her niche in the back of the closet and true love is now a reality, having that dream wedding enters the realm of possibility.

“It’s always way too expensive,” said senior business major Darcy Bumpus, “but it’s worth it because it’s one chance in a lifetime. . . . My dream wedding would be on the beach.”

Imagine. Romantic beaches with cool breezes. A carriage drawn by six white horses. The wedding day is one of the only days some people get to make dreams come true. Whether it involves canoes, skyscrapers or knights in shining armor, the absolutely soul-striking power that weddings radiate cannot be ignored. There would be no tears without it.

Many people’s wedding fantasies are encased in staunch traditions. Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. White dresses accentuated with frilly white veils.

The bride and groom feeding (in today’s world, the more appropriate word is probably shoving) cake into one another’s mouths is to symbolize their promise to nurture and love each other. No matter how physically dramatic a wedding can become, tradition is always there, peeking around the corner, making its mark on the couple’s splendid day.

“It would be the normal thing,” said junior Jen Duggan of her dream wedding. “A church. Family. A lot of people. A groom.”

Senior Terry Robertson, a VWC security guard, married his wife four and a half years ago. They didn’t have a big wedding, but Robertson didn’t mind.

“I’d rather spend the money on the honeymoon,” he said with a devilish gleam in his eyes. “Most of my money went to the ring.”

After fighting off the cold feet and casting aside doubts of whether his wife was the right one or not, Robertson began to feel that powerful wedding magic when the priest said those famous words: “For richer for poorer, through sickness and health, until death do you part.”

“You hear it so much on TV and at weddings,” he continued, “but when it’s you, it’s a different program.”

A different program.

A new life.

Weddings are the initial meeting of two worlds that could not come together any other way. As the bridesmaids and groomsmen march down the aisle, as the matron of honor carries the bride’s train and as the photographer snaps an undercover picture of Aunt Gertrude begging for Kleenex, the change is already underway.

Fathers give away daughters. Mothers mull over the loss of their sons. It is a time when parents should let go of their little ones because they are now ready to make a family of their own.

They may ponder: Was it just yesterday he was sitting at the kitchen table, spitting Fruit Loops at his sister, or was it really just yesterday when she put on my suit jacket with matching tie and asked to come to work with me?

The memories are bittersweet and sometimes hard to swallow, but with weddings, the uncontrollable entities of change, good-byes and evolution are a must. It is sad, but the sadness never lasts for long. Two families meet and converge into one.

Love, at least on this day, is whole and indestructible. Even if there is rain, the sun shines through on everybody’s faces.