Bonus #2: Weddings- Outdated Commitment Rituals or Celebrations of Love? by Bailey West

As a kid, I watched Say Yes to the Dress and The Bachelorette with my mom. At a young age I definitely idealized weddings, wedding dresses, and true love. I remember watching those shows and thinking how great it must be to fall in love and know who you want to spend the rest of your life with. I thought it would be perfect and easy. However, as I grew older I quickly realized this isn't the case. Love is something that isn't always easy, but can be worth it. Dedicating your life to someone isn't always the best answer. However, it should be up to the couple to decide to get married and what kind of wedding to have.

Currently, I have mixed feelings about weddings. Being a young adult now experiencing relationships and thoughts of the future, the legality of a wedding seems intimidating. We change so much over the course of our lives; do I really want to get into a legally binding relationship that would be expensive and painful to terminate? The whole concept is intimidating to me. I do believe in love and I think I could find someone I'd like to spend the rest of my life with, but I'm worried about the pressure of marriage. I'm worried that it would act more as a reason to not leave instead of an expression of commitment. I don't want to be in a relationship where the person doesn't leave because of how hard it would be, but isn't necessarily happy staying either.

Besides the legality of it, weddings are often excessive. Although I do enjoy seeing pictures of big beautiful dresses, decorations, nice venues, flower arrangements, etc., it is very expensive. I don't know if it's for me, personally, but I recognize that it is pretty to look at. I think whoever wants the wedding to be excessive is the one that should pay for it. There shouldn't be weight on any particular party. However, in the end I believe it should be up to the couple to decide the size and expenses of their wedding.

I do agree that a wedding is cause for celebration. I've been to a couple of weddings and it's been a nice celebration of love and unity. I do enjoy and respect that aspect. You get to dance, eat, and be around loved ones. However, the family aspect can definitely be skewed because many families have issues and aren't all hunky dory.

All in all, I think weddings are up to the couple. I don't think the concept is necessarily outdated, but there are some aspects that are. If I were to have a wedding, I don't want my dad to "give me away". I'd want my partner walked down the aisle by a loved one as well. I also wouldn't want certain parts of my family at the wedding because they're not supportive of many aspects of my life. I'd want it to be nice, heartfelt, and pretty but not excessive. I'd splurge on a dress but not spend thousands of dollars on one. I'm also not religious, so I don't want to get married in a church by a religious figure. So, in many ways my view of a wedding varies from the traditional sense but isn't entirely off base. If you truly believe you found the right person then it's up to you to decide whether or not marriage is for you.