I [heart] Martha Stewart Weddings. I can't stand most wedding magazines, especially the ones focused on celebrity weddings*, but MSW just has the right combination of DIY and impeccable taste to make me anticipate each new issue. I call it my 'wedding crack'. I love flipping through it for inspiration, but seeing some of my own ideas, the ones I thought were completely original, on the pages of MSW will ruin my day+. Despite this, I devour issue after issue.

Most of my friends managed to get married without magazines. I have failed to live up to their modern frugal woman ways. I try to read one issue of a news magazine (usually the Economist) to balance out my vapid reading habits, but now, thanks to an impulse buy, I have seven back issues of MSW on their way to me.

I won them in two ebay auctions. I hadn't intended to buy them, I always get sniped out of whatever I bid on, so I expected them to go to someone else at the last minute. Five arrived today and I have been pawing through them instead of working on my machine translation system. They are so pretty and colorful and one even smells like expensive soap.

The biggest problem with these magazines is that they plant ideas in my head that shouldn't be there. They put me in a fog where giving out taper candles as favors and edging 200 treat boxes with artfully cut doilies sounds like a great idea...and then I'm internet shopping...and then disaster follows. It takes a brisk walk for me to come back to reality.

Yep. It's time for a walk. I almost ordered 250 green metallic Chinese takeout boxes.

*That goes double for wedding television programs where people are focused on copying or outdoing a celebrity. I saw one where a woman was obsessed with topping/imitating Star Jones' wedding. Really? Star Jones? Why are you making your wedding about someone else?

+I can't believe you, Martha! Screen printing favors and place mats was my idea. How could you do that to me in the summer 2007 issue?

Labels: wedding

posted by Alison 7/11/2007 02:09:00 PM : (0) comments : splink