First, I want to thank everyone for being so open about your wedding costs. It was so eye opening to read the wide range of costs and the many different ways one can have a wedding! Next, I want to show you something that no doubt put a huge strain on one family’ bridal budget: the ninety-nine meter long train.

The longest in China to date, this train required fifty flower girls to hoist and move it, just so the bride could walk down the aisle. However, this train was by no means the longest in the world. That official record allegedly is held by Hege Lorence and Rolf Rotset, who created a train 670 feet long that required an entourage of 186 bridemaids and page boys.

Britains Jordan, aka Katie Price, who married Peter Andre last year, claimed she was going to wear the world’s longest train at 2,545 feet long but I can find no record of her actually having done so. Until I do, here is a picture of her wedding, which, in my opinion, includes a number of fairly obvious wedding “don’ts.”

Because the Anne Klein shoes posted yesterday by The Manolo were so delicious, I wanted to find a nice blush gown to go with them. Though I know there is a great debate among brides and bridal enthusiasts like myself regarding the whole straps versus strapless, I still love this tulle number from Raylia Designs. The gown features a bodice with striped beading and a gathering effect at the hip for a very full skirt. But, at the same time, it’s fairly simple, which may lend itself nicely to the little jewel accents on the shoes. Um, provided the bride is tall enough to let us see her feet, of course.

So, let’s say you decide to get married in blush. What does your choice say about you? Well, pink is often presented as the color of universal love. According to this site:

Universal love, of oneself as well as others, is just one of pink’s numerous connotations. Kindness, courage, energy, loyalty, purity, romance and, yes, even passion, are just a few of the key words associated with the color pink. Pink is also symbolic of bounty, fertility and abundance, as exemplified in the “Full Pink Moon” of April, a title derived from herb moss pink and wild phlox, one of the most abundant wild flowers of spring. The “Full Strawberry Moon” of June is also reminiscent of pink, known in the farming community as the moon of the strawberry harvest.

Pink also contains elements of fire and air, passion and oxygen combined, thus summoning to the mind images of life, ripeness, hunger and succulent pleasure. Even the definition of pink carries positive connotations. Pink is no longer merely a color, reddish in hue; it is also denotative of “the highest or best degree,” as in “the pink of health”.

Of course, you may simply be too pale for pure white.

Manolo says, this shoe, the Passion from the Anne Klein, not only is it the perfect shoe for the girl who is not afraid of wearing the wedding gown of the blush color, but it is also on the sale, 60% off of the regular price.

It is pretty, no?

Everyone knows about Bridezilla. She hems and haws and demands that everything be perfect and rags on her husband-to-be and isn’t very nice to individuals working in thye service industry. But we live in the age of metrosexuals and do-it-yourself tooth whiteners. That means the newest witchy wedding whiners are not the brides, but the grooms. Enter Groomzilla.

Groomzilla may not be so concerned about the flowers and favors, but he is obsessed with spreadsheeted budgets and cost cutting solutions. He doesn’t so much want to plan the wedding as to oversee its planning. According to Time Magazine, Groomzilla wants a “$1,800 custom-made worsted-wool suit” and eyebrow wax and a manicure.

The “bridezillas” who pay assiduous attention to nuptial details haven’t disappeared. But increasingly they’re joined at the altar by “groomzillas,” who care just as much about the particulars of the big day. Whereas a decade ago many men limited their input to the choice of DJ for the reception, growing numbers are now getting involved with everything from seating plans and table decorations to wedding-cake design and keepsakes for guests.

According to NPD Research, a New York based marketing firm, 80% of men are now active co-partners in the wedding-planning process. Really, now. Not surprising, considering one can now create a registry for just about anything, just about anywhere.

That may be true in the big city, but I’m pretty sure that’s not true where my family lives in a small town in the south. I don’t know what I’d do if The Beard had a different idea regarding what our (at this point, highly fictional) wedding ceremony should be like. Okay…that’s not quite true. But I’ve been dreaming of my wedding for ages. And I like to keep things simple and authentic. I don’t plan on becoming Bridezilla, but I do want to stick to the plan.

…but it can buy you a big fancy wedding! According to CostofWedding.com, the average price for a wedding in the U.S. is $26,800. The general breakdown they give is thus:

Wedding Attire $1,841.00
Wedding Ceremony $2,337.00
Wedding Favors & Gifts $1,104.00
Wedding Flowers $1,136.00
Wedding Jewelry $1,739.00
Wedding Music $922.00
Wedding Photography $2,659.00
Wedding Reception $13,692.00
Wedding Stationery $809.00

The site features a wedding cost calculator based on zip code, which is pretty cool. A wedding in the city in which I live costs somewhat more at $28,944. Most weddings in the town I grew up in cost around $39,664. Where my paternal family lives, however, a wedding will “only” set you back $18,492.

For those of you out there who are married, I would love to know roughly how much your wedding cost. Or, if that’s too personal, perhaps you could tell me what the most expensive element (dress, catering, hall, etc.) was and how much that cost.

And here’s a little food for thought from Mirror.co.UK:

A spokesman for insurers Weddingplan, said: “A wedding is one of the biggest financial outlays a couple will ever make.”

The cost of getting married has risen 75 per cent since the firm carried out its first poll in 1998.

Happy new year to all who choose to celebrate the new year at this time! Here’s hoping that everyone has a wonderful 2006 – and can avoid seeing…or being near dresses like this one. The lovely Madelene brought this mermaid style dress to my attention. This satin gown features an extra, extra wide portrait neckline and a fluffy ruffled organza mermaid skirt. Good for the bride who wants to have the very authentic ocean wedding, perhaps?

Now, did I have a happy New Year’s Eve? Twenty hours in various airports, five flights, and a near death experience due to weather…and no proposal…says no. I’m almost glad to be back to work!