The man I love has proposed to me and I’m now faced with one of the
toughest decisions of my life ... whether to read a bridal magazine and,
if so, which one? Accepting his proposal was easy but, to be honest,
I’ve always had an aversion to this genre of magazine - my perception
being that they seek to reinforce a stereotype of what is ultimately a
personal and therefore unique day.
However, anyone organising their wedding needs guidance and
inspiration.
After all, your wedding day will be one of the most important events in
your life and I think it’s true to say most brides want it to
encapsulate a dream of romantic perfection which has been with them for
some time.
Given the scepticism with which I greeted the offer to review the first
issue of Wedding Day, I was pleasantly surprised. The ’stylish, modern
guide for brides’, launched by Eve Pollard and Linda Kelsey, seems to
achieve its aim.
Tacky bridalwear ads don’t dominate the pages and the voyeuristic ’Real
Wedding’ section included tastefully spontaneous photos and amusing,
anecdotal editorial.
The beauty advice throughout is practical and unpretentious, while
statistics in Wedding Day’s survey include interesting facts such as ’8
per cent of newlyweds are unfaithful in the first five years’ and ’25
per cent of newlyweds don’t make love on their wedding night’.
The modern bride is given essential internet surfing advice in ’Wedded
to the web’, although the quality of the photographs in Wedding Day
could never be reproduced on a computer screen. I found myself drooling
over the Conde Nast Traveller-style ’Honeymoon Heaven’ section.
The modern groom, however, does get neglected. Given the rise in
popularity of the male fashion magazine, perhaps future issues will
redress this.
Anyone who has recently become engaged would testify to the fact that
cynicism about marriage has waned and romance is alive and well.
The magazine does a good job of showcasing the fun you can have
organising the big day, but it is more likely that I’ll keep my vows on
the day than buy a subscription.
Publisher: Parkhill Publishing
Editor: Linda Kelsey
Cover price: pounds 3.00
Frequency: Bi-monthly
Initial print run: 80,000
Ad rate full-page colour: pounds 5,950
Advertisers include Calvin Klein, Denby, Harrods, The Couture Company,
Estee Lauder.
