Texan Mosaic

by SERGIO MADRID//Staff Writer

Weddings — the everlasting tradition of bargaining, clever advertisements, and unhappy-endings.   

The idea behind marriage has slowly progressed over time to the unrealistic fairytale concept we all fuss over today.

Some women spend their entire lives preparing for the day they get hitched. Even some men envision their perfect bride based on a Hollywood-endorsed fantasy.

Marriage was once a simple agreement between lovers, a bonding between city-states of Greece, or a bargain between one gentleman to the next.

Dads would marry off their daughters for land or livestock. But somewhere along the line a simple celebration became a must-have, must-do sacrificial ritual, where hard-earned money is depleted to please an undeserving bride and groom.

Years of advertising and product placement has turned a tradition of love into a submission of love. People are no longer satisfied with just being together, there are now incentives and expectations that have been deeply ingrained into the minds of women who don’t even realize it. Not only do they not realize it, but they don’t care to know.

Less than 100 years ago, De Beers launched what is now known as the most successful ad campaign of all time.

De Beers monopolized diamond mining, got away with it, and then formed artificial restrictions on the supply and continuously raised the price on diamonds, giving the assumption that they are rare and, therefore, priceless.

When first putting out ads for their diamonds, De Beers embedded itself into cinema, giving diamonds to producers for the actresses to wear, or to be given to them as symbols of love, and anniversaries.

After the concept got some screen time, De Beers then put out ads shaming men into buying a diamond ring to prove their love with a “priceless” rock, and it worked to perfection.

Unfortunately, despite knowing all of this, men are still in a vice to spend money. Women want the rock, and won’t settle for less. Even if they would, you still have to worry about the actual wedding. The harmonious ceremony that use to be a casual celebration may be even worse than the proposal process.

There is the perfect dress, the perfect song, the perfect location, not to mention the price of the cake and cost of catering. I feel sorry for the bride’s father. Apparently, it is his duty to pay for the whole thing. I doubt anyone knows where that rule came from.

Either way, people have found a way to make profit off of desperate men wanting to please a paper princess for a day. Catering companies and party planners have been found to jack up prices for weddings, knowing people will pay.

The whole formal ordeal came about with people wanting to celebrate like the rich.

White clothing was an expensive item and hard to keep clean, so only those who could afford it wore white. Somehow through the years it became a symbol of purity, which is another fairytale in itself, as many brides have slept with multiple partners in this day in age before they are married.

This brings me to couples who are too naïve to handle the responsibilities and consequences of marriage.

Marriage is a commitment to another person, and chances are the young couples thinking about getting married have not met many other people who interest them. So when they do, their values may change, their interest may change, even physical appearances may change. More times than not, their significant others will travel down separate roads in life.

So what do you do if you lose interest in your spouse?

You can’t get divorced; it is too embarrassing, and expensive. Besides, you have kids and don’t want to put them through that. The legality in a divorce is bad enough without children being involved. You might as well just deal with her craziness. Make peace with his unfaithful fornication. Or what may be less excruciating, don’t get married.