As the book unfolds, Zaslow relates the stories of brides on the cusp of their wedding. Brides without mothers, brides who have never kissed their grooms, brides with children. But he is gentle with his subjects. Shelley, the current owner of Becker's Bridal, is divorced and grew up in a family that revolved around the family business. Shelley's determination to grow the business and her observations of love and family life truly round out the book.
The errant sociologist in me wished Zaslow had lent additional research and pages to the snippets of information and commentary he provides about the wedding industry in general. It was interesting to read how TV-broadcast weddings influenced dress styles, and even how reality shows like Say Yes to the Dress were changing how women shopped and what they expected from the dress-buying experience.
I remember standing on a platform, surrounded by mirrors, my mother or groups of women I loved. I feel fortunate to have found my dream wedding dress, and better yet, to have worn it to step into my new life with the man of my dreams.
Want to find out more about The Magic Room? I'll be participating in the BlogHer Book Club right here: http://www.blogher.com/bookclub
The Magic Room was one such book. I was intrigued by the description and the idea of a book that examined such a wide range of relationships: the relationship between marriage and the modern world. The relationship between mothers or fathers and daughters. The relationship between the bridal dream and the fiscal reality.
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