Bridechilla: The Act of Not Being Absolutely Insane

In this week's Grazia magazine there was an article on the rise of the 'bridechilla'. Aside from the word itself, which made a little food come up, I have to say it was a refreshing read.

I think that BBC's Don't Tell the Bride has actually done a good job at summing up the mindset people have towards organising weddings. The number of conversations I've heard around the less significant parts of a wedding is mind-boggling: 'I need to have this/wear this/eat this on my wedding day'. Why not focus on another hobby first so you don't sound insane when you find your husband-to-be?

To all of the women who have obsessed about wedding details to the point that they end up arguing with their fiancées - which part of spending months hunting down the PERFECT dress, colour-coding invitations and god knows what else people stick on tables at weddings is about the actual reason for getting married? Remember, the loving-someone-and-wanting-to-be-with-them-forever part?

The article in Grazia was written after the news that Kiera Knightley tied the knot this week in - shock horror - ballet shoes, and drove away in a battered Renault Clio. Does she not love her husband or something?

The fact that the news was so shocking is what's shocking. It's come to the point where weddings are so overcast by money and details (and brides getting so obsessive that there's now a well-recognised name for them) that someone getting married without caring about all that stuff is a news story in itself.

Grazia reported that the average wedding costs £23,000 - a number that is apparently falling, thank god. I may not be thinking about marriage, but I wouldn't pay £23,000 for two matching eyebrows, never mind to continuing being with the person I'm already with.