Gay Guy,
In a recent post, I snarked on a YouTube wedding proposal (staged!) where the music and choreography sucked any authenticity out of the moment.
Maybe you've already seen the new bridal party video above. It's been out less than a week and has amassed 5 million hits and climbing (plus a visit to the Today Show). Oh, how I wanted to snark on this couple, too. Let me count the possible ways. But I just can't do it. They got me.
Here's a few comments from those not feelin' the love:
This must have been the first song they grinded to after too many jello-shots down at the sports bar. So gross. All that wobbly pale flesh. What a memory to cherish. Excuse me while I pry my eyes out with a spoon.
It's ostensibly about celebrating a couple's love and future together, but it seems to now serve as the one sad last-gasp opportunity for ANY attention. Dorky fun has its place but this is painful and embarrassing. Very, VERY Midwest and I DON'T mean that in a good way... pasty, chubby, farmstock in ill-fitting clothes doing the whiteman overbite cos it's 'funny' is just distasteful in this context. Bleurrgh.
And a few one-word reviews: Gay!
But most folks are on the other side of the fence...
a very genuine feeling expression of sincere joy that doesn't matter if it looks a bit cheesy at times.
This reminded me not just of the joy in my life, but of the opportunity I have to surround myself with love and the power of being confident, out there, and silly. There is a delicious freedom here. Men unafraid to dance in public, a perfect handstand, a crowd that loves you. I'm going to hold less in and move towards love.
What a fantastic way to begin your life together! You made me laugh and smile and I even found myself with few tears of absolute joy for you - ha, complete strangers!
My wife and I have been married for 36 years and if we got married tomorrow I would do it just like this! What an incredibly meaningful display of love and humor -- two of the most important ingredients for a lasting marriage.
And there's this from Sarah Kaufman at the Washington Post (where they've been running some surprisingly astute coverage/commentary on web trends).
More important, this ceremony went deeper than behaviors. It elicited all the right feelings, in the way that good dancing transfers energy and emotion to its audience. In the way they moved -- and were able to corral their friends and family into the act -- the couple told us a lot about themselves, and about their bond....This didn't look like a reluctant groom being dragged to the altar, nor a micromanaging bridezilla who had locked down every detail. They were open to music and movement and untucked shirts and sweat, and they gave to their guests what had to be the best party favor of all. An actual party.
Readers, Gay Guy (arts lover) knows not to invite me to anything that can be labeled as "interpretive dance." More than simply not liking it, it makes me angry. I'm sure those with a better-educated eye for dance can see otherwise. But my criteria is simple: entertain me, don't indulge yourselves. So how does this joyful mess of a bridal procession get through my filter and leave me so happy and hopeful? I can't really answer except to say that somehow they got right what so many people get wrong. And if you try to copy them, you'll get it wrong, too.
Hell yeah, it's gay. But in the first definition, cheerful, no worries, kind of way... and who doesn't need more of that?
--Straight Guy
4 comments:
My first reaction to this: john Belushi made a career out of doing this. ( I also thought of Chris Farley, but bless his heart, I never cared for him that much.) I didn't think it was gay, Midwest, or a grab for attention. They did what they wanted. This month I attended a Tuesday afternoon wedding at a vacation house; the groom's brother got ordained on the Internet so he could marry the couple, the bride held their 10 month old daughter during the 10 minutes ceremony, and the couple's dog was in a white dress. People can find 8 things wrong with that sentence, but damn if it wasn't one of the most sincere weddings I've been to.
I absolutely loved it. All I felt was their unabashed joy and their willingness to share it in the most upbeat way possible. Having done the whole serious, traditional nerve-wracking wedding (marriage failed, btw), I found myself hopeful that this couple is on to something. Thank you for making me laugh out loud, the way a small child does when something totally delights her. You made my day.
I loved this video and asked my married friends why they did not come up with such a creative entrance. It is nice to see people so genuinely happy and excited to start their life together. Too often weddings are so restrained by ritual and parental expectations. I think it is FAB and wish I was invited.
They all looked good recreating their act on the Today show a few days ago....except for one of the groomsmen who broke his leg at some point after the wedding.
Now at 10million+ hits on Ytube. Too bad they can't make money off that!!
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