While researching content for this guide, I decided to check out the wedding show selections on Netflix. I’m still not sure this was a good idea, because I ended up watching the entire season of Bridalplasty, a reality competition in which brides-to-be compete for the chance to win plastic surgery before their dream wedding. There were so many things wrong with this show that you can probably derive for yourself, but the show did well to go through each aspect of bridal planning in detail—choosing a dress, creating a bouquet, selecting a wedding party, picking a venue and writing vows. Each bride had spent years painstakingly curating their special day. I learned, thanks to Netflix, that these kinds of brides are often referred to as “Bridezillas.” I prefer the version established by popular wedding site Offbeat Bride—“Bridethulhus,” for us nerdier folks.
Of course, a wedding doesn’t—and probably shouldn’t—have to be a day full of monsters. Renoites, of all people, know that weddings come in all shapes and sizes. Nevada has a unique wedding culture, where our quick stop chapels and Elvis impersonators attract lovebirds from all over. Marriages in this region take place anywhere from the shores of Lake Tahoe to the dusty playa of Burning Man. And some locals choose to hightail it out of Nevada altogether and get the ceremony and honeymoon done in one fell swoop.
We tend to enjoy nontraditional approaches to marriage, so we’ve included a little bit of all of that in this year’s guide, along with some suggestions for the little things like bridesmaid dresses and wedding rings. However, for you more traditional brides-to-be, that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate the work it takes to put on a wedding, so we’ve also put together our annual wedding guide checklist to help you get started.
No matter what your wedding looks like, remember to enjoy the day for what it is—a celebration of the next phase of your life with the person you love.
Cheers,
Ashley Hennefer, RN&R special projects editor