Altogether now

I will have been to four weddings by the end of this year. I have been to full on extravagant weddings and brilliantly budget weddings, all unique, all wonderful. The thing with all this union of couples is that my entire life is weddings. My frame of reference at the moment is all marriage and nuptials and two becoming one. My standard response to anything I like is "Ooo I could marry that", to someone doing something I like "Ooo I'll marry you for that", everything cool I see, "I'm having that at my wedding". Just for clarity I am not getting, or even remotely close to getting, married, unless polygamy is legalized in a rash government turnaround.

The things is, and don't tell anyone this, I'm not sure I am fussed about having a wedding. Don't get me wrong, I do want to find that one person to commit myself, and I would want to mark that commitment publicly. A wedding though, all the trimmings? The teenage girl in me wants it, the bling, the dress, the party, the chance to show everyone how its done. The practical side of me though says, what is the point, it is just a party, the marriage is the important part, the commitment to another person, that's what I need.

There has got to be something in it though, hasn't there? A tradition which started as a way of fathers being rid of the burden of their daughters, whilst giving another man the means to continue his line, has persisted for an estimated 4,000 years. Nor is it some sort of novelty tradition either, some 250,000 couples exchange vows per year in England and Wales alone.

So what is it, what is the draw, what is the magical power held by a wedding. I guess it is the same as powerful moments. The draw of a wedding is actually the same as that of a music concert, a festival, of comic-con (what do you mean transparent interests), it is the power of the shared human experience. It has been written about through history, wound into stories and tales through the ages, the power of something that draws a group together for the same purpose. There is magic in people sharing a moment. Maybe that is the point, the importance of a wedding, making that commitment in front of your friends and family really does have something to it, something that makes you stronger as a couple, more capable of facing what may come.

Perhaps the blessing of the group is the reason we are drawn to share our commitment with others. Perhaps I'll rethink and in the process let myself fantasize about a little bit of bling and that perfect white dress.