Doesn’t every young girl dream about her wedding day?  For me, the planning started at a young age, the style and theme would change as I grew older but the dream never fizzled.

I’ll be honest. I was in a foul mood by the time I arrived home from driving all over hells acre. I was fit to be tied; highway driving makes me crazy!  I bolted through the door, still struggling to remove my coat, announcing, “I need a BIG glass of wine,” so much for dry January.  I was home and just in time for one of my favourite shows…”Say yes to the dress,”   I know what you’re thinking, yes, I’m one of those women who can’t seem to get enough of  bride’s shopping for wedding dresses; it’s my crack!  This time though, I was watching it in a different headspace, bad headspace. I blurt out, “this is ridiculous, these women think a wedding dress is going to give them a happily ever after, what a farce!”  Before you all come at me with pitchforks, you’ll have to agree, the entire concept of the white dress and the pomp and circumstance surrounding the ceremony is a bit archaic.  How did we get here?  My son, who’s trying very hard to say the right thing, comes up with “religion and Shakespeare, mom”.  I thought about it for a minute; trying to understand what he just said was quite brilliant.

Religion has usually played a role in most wedding ceremonies.  That said, I’m not religious; in fact, I was married on a beach,  there were no references to God or the Holy Spirit in our vows,  but I did wear a white dress (tradition or fashion?)   I think it’s safe to say most of us value traditions, sometimes guilted by an older generation, but I respect how religion plays a traditional role in a wedding. Whether you are religious or not, it does come down to the ceremony and surrounding yourself with family and close friends. But, with more and more couples flying off to exotic destinations and writing their vows, the religious aspect of the ceremony may be changing. Is this a sign of the times?

So, where does Shakespeare fit into all of this?  Well, here’s the romance part, without Shakespeare, we wouldn’t  have a story about two star crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet.  One of the most iconic love stories, Shakespeare has paved the way for all of our love stories; we all want our Romeo to our Juliet, n’est-ce pas?

And then there’s the dress…

Satin, silk, charmeuse, chiffon, tulle, organza and lace, are just a handful of fabric choices for a wedding dress.  Bride’s, travel far and wide to the bridal Mecca of @Kleinfelds in NYC.  It’s an arduous job, trying dress after dress after dress. Every bride has one idea or vision; some arrive with ripped out pages from magazines or Pinterest boards with every conceivable version of the white dress.  Eventually, it’s the fateful tear and the entourage agreeing, “it’s the one!” Only then can you say “yes to the dress”.

So despite my rant on how ridiculous all of this is, I guess I should remember my vision of the white dress; it wasn’t so ridiculous at the time.

A Shakespeare love story, all for a beautiful white dress.

LC