Reveals how many of our customs and wedding rituals were the product of sophisticated advertising campaigns, merchandising promotions, and entrepreneurial innovations. The businesses and entrepreneurs, from jewelers to bridal consultants and caterers, set the stage for today's multibillion-dollar industry.
This book explores the history and practice of testimonial advertising in the United States from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, addressing a surprising lack of scholarship on this enduring and pervasive marketing tool. Treating consumers as neither the victims nor the empowered foes of corporate practices, the authors gathered here contribute to new scholarship at the intersection of cultural and business history by examining how testimonials mediate negotiations between producers and consumers and shape modern cultural attitudes about social identity, advice, community, celebrity, and the consumption of brand-name goods and services.
The notion of “happily ever after” has been ingrained in many of us since childhood—meet someone, date, have the big white wedding, and enjoy your well-deserved future. But why do we buy into this idea? Is love really all we need? Author Laurie Essig invites us to flip this concept of romance on its head and see it for what it really is—an ideology that we desperately cling to as a way to cope with the fact that we believe we cannot control or affect the societal, economic, and political structures around us. From climate change to nuclear war, white nationalism to the worship of wealth and conspicuous consumption—as the future becomes seemingly less secure, Americans turn away from the public sphere and find shelter in the private. Essig argues that when we do this, we allow romance to blind us to the real work that needs to be done—building global movements that inspire a change in government policies to address economic and social inequality.
A budget-conscious guide to planning the perfect wedding explains how to create a stylish ceremony without paying a fortune, offering practical advice on on everything from wedding planners and flowers to photographers, entertainment, honeymoons, and caterers. Original.
Everyone dreams of the perfect wedding… And for nearly seven decades, Bride’s magazine has been the leading authority on the subject, with advice that is both practical and sympathetic to the needs of the bride, the groom, their families and friends. Now in a completely revised edition, Bride’s Book of Etiquette offers the most up-to-date information on engagement and wedding planning, and realistic solutions for any problem that couples may encounter. In this trusted classic, you’ll find out: How to draw up—and pare down—the guest list How to word invitations for every circumstance How to get his family to share wedding expenses, and who pays for what Where to seat divorced parents, and how to make sure they’ll get along How to dress the bride, groom, mothers, and bridal party at every hour for every type of wedding Contemporary ideas for a long-weekend wedding, a destination wedding and more How to handle last-minute glitches, include children in a second wedding, and answer the tough question: “Am I invited to the wedding?” Registering on the Internet, the dos and don’ts Updated etiquette for a second wedding The new honeymoon rules—romantic trips in today’s world
As Long as we Both Shall Eat is a culinary history of wedding feasts. Examining the various food customs associated with weddings in America and around the world, Claire Stewart not only provides a rich account of the foods most loved and frequently served at wedding celebrations, she also offers a glimpse into the customs and celebrations themselves, as they are experienced in the West and in various other cultures. Shesheds light on the historical and contemporary significance of wedding food, and explores patterns of the varieties of conspicuous consumption linked to American wedding feasts in particular. There are stories of celebrity excess, and the book is peppered with accounts of lavish strange-but-true wedding tales. The antics of wealthy socialites and celebrities is a topic rich for exploration, and the telling of their exploits can be used to track the fads and changes in conventional and contemporary wedding feasts and celebrations. From cocktail hours to wedding cakes, showers to brunches, the food we enjoy to celebrate the joining of life partners helps bring us together, no matter our differences. Readers are treated to a tasty trip down the aisle in this entertaining and lively account of nuptial noshing.
Astutely observed and deftly witty, One Perfect Day masterfully mixes investigative journalism and social commentary to explore the workings of the wedding industry-an industry that claims to be worth $160 billion to the U.S. economy and which has every interest in ensuring that the American wedding becomes ever more lavish and complex. Taking us inside the workings of the wedding industry-including the swelling ranks of professional event planners, department stores with their online registries, the retailers and manufacturers of bridal gowns, and the Walt Disney Company and its Fairy Tale Weddings program-New Yorker writer Rebecca Mead skillfully holds the mirror up to the bride's deepest hopes and fears about her wedding day, revealing that for better or worse, the way we marry is who we are.
From the heavily beaded tubular dress of the 1920s through to the body-skimming shift dress of the 1960s, this book looks at and celebrates the historic shapes, detailing and romance of vintage wedding gowns. Equipped with instructions, patterns and photos, it explores the history of wedding wear and explains how to make a vintage wedding gown inspired by historical fashions and trends. A beautiful and practical book, it will inspire everyone who wants to express themself through timeless and elegant styles. Step-by-step instructions are given for making each dress and are complemented by close-up photographs of historic details and decoration. This beautiful book will be of particular interest to wedding dress designers, seamstresses and brides, vintage enthusiasts of 1920s-60s and theatre designers. Beautifully illustrated with 105 colour close-up photographs of historic details and 21 patterns with step-by-step instructions.