Tuesday 14 February 2012

Valentine's Day Special: "27 Dresses"= 27x the $$$

Greetings everyone! Because today is Valentine's Day, I chose the write about the only chick-flick I own... "27 Dresses."

The Movie
This romantic-comedy takes the phrase "always a bridesmaid, never a bride" pretty literally. It's all about Jane, who has been in (you guessed it) 27 weddings, each time as a bridesmaid. And it doesn't help that soon, her sister seduces and is then engaged to the man of her dreams. Then she meets Kevin, who pretends to write an article on her sister's upcoming wedding, but really he is actually writing on Jane's participation in 27 weddings. Kevin has a cynical view on marriage, which of course creates some comedic scenes as well as some romantic ones. It's a romantic comedy, what do you expect, right?

What Doesn't Make Sense
The movie title should have been my first clue that this movie was going to by pretty illogical. 27 dresses. Think about that for a minute.


So, 27 dresses means that she's had to pay for a bridesmaid dress 27 times. Now, the average dress (from what I found online) costs at least $150. Now add alterations. Now add shoes. Then accessories, then hair/nails/make-up, then hotel stay, then the bachelorette party... And of course, if there is any travel involved (which from the looks of the clip above, there was), you've got to add that too! So, we're talking about $1000 minimum for EACH wedding. That's right, $27,000 spent on being a bridesmaid. At least.

In the movie, Kevin remarks at one point that she has been in 7 weddings in one year alone... so, $7,000 plus the travel, minus the lost wages... How can she afford an apartment to store those hideous dresses, let alone be in all these weddings!? She is just an office assistant, she can't be making that much!

I know, I know...it's a great honor to be asked to be someone's bridesmaid. And believe me, if I knew the person well enough, or was related to them (or was dating/married to a brother of the bride) then I would not hesitate. But how on earth can you have 27 close friends that you feel obligated to be a part of their wedding party? Not to mention, has this woman ever heard of a simple, two letter word spelled "N" "O"?

Obviously, I'm not a big fan of chick-flicks. Seeing as "27 Dresses" is the only chick flick I own, I can safely say that no, I am not a typical romantic. Do I believe in love? Yes, of course. Do I think getting married is perfect way to celebrate your love with friends and family? Hell yes I do, and I can't wait until I get married. But do I think that it's practical, or even possible, to be a bridesmaid 27 times?! No way!

((Here's the most resourceful website I found about the average cost of being a bridesmaid ))

6 comments:

  1. What makes even less sense is that a sentient creature would think to pay Katherine Heigl--who has all the charisma of an uncharasmatic doorknob-- actual American money to "act" in a movie.

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  2. I have to say, even though I'm thrilled to be a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding, I'm dreading how much it's going to cost. I can't imagine paying that much money 27 times.

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  3. I've got 3 weddings this summer, 2 of which i am a part of and one of which is a destination wedding....

    Needless to say, the brokeness i am experiencing now is nothing compared to the after-math of these celebrations.

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  4. Dresses in store range from $150-400. Can you imagine if she had not purchased them online? I am going to be in a wedding this summer and I am so thankful I purchased it online. It's crazy how expensive it is to be in a wedding party.

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  5. I think it is a great honour to be in someones wedding, but agree with the above comments that the financial commitment is crazy. I hope that all you ladies that are in bridal parties this summer like the dress you will be wearing and don't end up in a dress looking like some of the ones that she wore in the movie.

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  6. My first concern when planning a wedding was the cost to my bridemaids. I can't even imagine buying 27 dresses!

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