What Happened to Bridezillas? An Essay In Videos

Bridezilla brides, originally uploaded by duncan arsenault.

A few years ago I turned on the Metro Channel in New York, which most of the time was just one huge infomercial for Steiner Sports Memorabelia, and saw the most curious thing: a show about wedding planning. But this wasn't just any kind of wedding planning, this was wedding planning for the rich in New York. It was told from the point of view of the planners, those thankless souls who know the ins and outs of florists and wedding venues across the isle of Manahatta. The show told a fascinating tale: how does New York's wealthy plan a wedding?

It was a great to watch, especially in you lived in NYC and could recognize landmarks. Anyone who watched the show remembers the crazy woman who lived in the Bronx, worked at a Clinique counter, thought she was a princess and quite literally spent her life savings on her wedding. The creepiest pairing was the dorky guy in music publishing and his off-the-boat Japanese wife, who didn't seem happy, or as if she even wanted to kiss him. I've always wondered if those two were still together.

The show faded away for a year or so and then reappeared on the WE Network, which made me quite happy. Who doesn't love a wedding?

Sadly, the WE Channel ruined the show. Instead of finding equally intriguing characters, it's as if they've been standing outside midwestern David's Bridal stores and offering a reality show to everyone who walked out. It's become the Jerry Springer of wedding shows, which is a shame.

For instance, the show did an entire montage about this woman, who is otherwise quite pretty, cursing like a sailor at everyone around her, including the flower girls.


I realize not everyone was meant to be on television, but why would you want to be broadcast berating all your friends about weight loss, when they all seem to be in pretty good shape?


This clip features an inflatable penis. Need I say more?


My point, is that just like designer handbags, perfectly good brands are being ruined for the sake of mass market appeal. Bridezillas used to be a cool show that took you into a world of posh weddings. Now, it takes you into the world of McWeddings. How is that innovative?