My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding

As an ex-TV addict, I rued the day when work took precedence over that box and I went from planning my schedule around the TV programme to barely glancing at the set during a busy week.

Thanks to cable TV, I recently got hooked on this interesting MTV programme, My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding which goes behind the scenes to capture the wedding planning process of "average couples" resulting in the most amazing and extravagant celebrations.

According to the show's blurb, "My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding isn't only about money and excess. It's about the couples' passion for each other, their obsession with getting it right, and their willingness to spend whatever it takes to impress their guests and pull off the wedding of their dreams!"

Errr...OK..but one does need to be in that minimum income category first!

Haven't quite figured out why I seem to be so intrigued by this show. However, it is quite addictive to watch the groom sweat while the bride goes about choosing pretty ie. expensive wedding favours, intricate jewellery, customized wedding cake tier as well as decide on the decor and other paraphernalia.

Some interesting snippets:

• Fiancee is bowed over by all the wedding planner's ideas and after agreeing to EVERYTHING she has suggested, the husband-to-be wonders aloud, "Is there an idea you have that she DOES NOT like?" *sniggers*
• During a discussion with the baker on the wedding cake design, the fiance wants "something classic and simple" only to have the wife-to-be chime in "But daaarling...I'm sooooo not simple. Can I have crystals?" *huh?!*
• When informed that having a cigar bar will set her back by $4k, the bride opines that this is money well spent in order to surprise her groom. *contemplative look*
• The bride happily tells her sister and mom how she has been very prudent in shopping for her wedding dress, only to go on about her THREE dresses (designed by Vera Wang and some other very expensive sounding designer names) that she will wear in the course of the evening. They finally ask her, "But what are you going to do with 3 dresses?"

[Note: A typical Chinese bride might not blink at this need for 3 dresses, but I guess for an ang moh wedding where typically the bride only wears ONE gown throughout the night, this must seem really strange.]

Although everything turns out perfectly, one also acknowledges the high cost involved to make it that WOW. For one episode, the wedding cost a whooping US$500k!!

Cognizant that getting married is really very expensive, I do feel alittle sorry for these grooms. Admittedly, it's easy to fall into the trap of attributing all expenses to being "once in a lifetime". Nevertheless, it would be nice to have an ice sculpture martini bar, gorgeous 10 carat diamonds or $17,000 worth of flowers. *wistful look*

When I tried engaging the other half about this fascinating show, he was distinctly disinterested. Thought I detected an element of relief that I was watching this only AFTER my wedding.