Blakely, K. (2008) Busy brides and the business of family life: the wedding-planning industry and the commodity frontier, Journal of Family Issues, 29(5), pp. 639-662
A phenomenon described by sociologist Arlie R. Hochschild in her
The Commercialization of Intimate Life: Notes from Home and Work. Her observations apply to family functions (e.g. child care, cleaning, birthday party planning, dog walking, grocery shopping, etc.), which are being increasingly delegated to other people who will perform them professionally at a cost.
Wedding planning, the focus of Hochschild's essay, is another example of the commodification of family functions.
Early instances of wedding planning can be traced back to the later nineteenth century, when the élites started hiring masters of ceremonies to assist them on the day of the wedding.
The modern wedding-planning industry began in the US in the late 70s/early 80s, a period of unprecedented marriage rates (due to the post-war baby boom and women's rising dedication to their careers and education). This, combined with an expanding consumer society, gave birth to the profession of the wedding planner.
Today, wedding planning is a multi-million-dollar industry with around 10000 businesses in the US, and its target market is mostly made up of "time-crunched", modern career women. The main wedding-planning organisations in the US include the
National Bridal Service, the
Association of Bridal Consultants, the
Association for Wedding Professionals International and the
National Association of Wedding Professionals.
The industry is gaining recognition because of the increasing opulence, lavishness and cost of weddings. Weddings are indeed becoming events and shows to make a statement about one's position and status. In their book
Cinderella dreams: the allure of the lavish wedding, Otnes, Cele C. and Pleck, Elizabeth H. note how having an opulent wedding is seen as a necessity, a right and even an entitlement for North American women. They also register an increased appetite for luxury, which they link to the spread of opulent weddings.
According to Blakely, there seems to be a correlation between the commercialisation of intimate life and feminism, with the latter providing the necessary ideological groundwork.
Edited by ~Darker - 21/5/2019, 14:14
