As Sadie mentioned yesterday, a Minnesota couple named Jill and Kevin saw their wacky aisle procession (a choreographed dance to Chris Brown's "Forever,") quickly go viral, earning them over a million hits on YouTube, as well as invitations to several high-profile morning news programs, including the Today show.

But Jill and Kevin aren't the first couple to see their wedding go viral: a couple posting a clip from their reception wherein the entire wedding party dances to Thriller has received over nine million hits since 2006, and a couple who surprised their guests by busting out a routine to "Baby Got Back" during their first dance has received over seven million hits since 2007. Yet another couple pulled a similar stunt in 2008, to Flo Rida's "Low." And of course, there are the other wacky wedding stunts, like the "light up wedding dress," and the evolution of a wedding dance, which have brought in tons of hits as well.

All of this makes me wonder if perhaps these elaborate wedding routines are being done for the friends and family of the bride and groom, or, perhaps, if they are being done specifically for viral video purposes. I'm inclined to think it's a little from Column A, a little from Column B: you get to have fun and entertain your friends in person, and then perhaps get a little internet celebrity out of it, to boot. In rough economic times, you may not be able to throw the glitziest wedding, but you can still make your way to the Today show just by posting a clip of your friends being goofy on your wedding day. I suspect we'll be seeing a lot of more of these videos over the next year or so, or at least until the next big wedding fad comes along, which could be refreshing or exhausting, depending on how many people decide to try to make their first dance an internet sensation.

Earlier: Moving, Awesome Wedding Dance Video Goes Wide On Web, Morning TV

In his article "Do men really want to get married?" Alex Wellen discovers that, in fact, contrary to popular belief (?) some do. ""Real men" are perceived as committing "till death do us part" for the wrong reasons — they marry out of convenience or under duress, and they acquiesce, kicking and screaming all the way to the altar." Then he gives us a bunch of cases in which guys decided they wanted to get married. One guy realized he did when his dad suggested it. Another discovered he was committed when his girlfriend helped him through a rough time. A third had to deal with a drug addiction.

They're nice to read, as all happy endings are, but it makes me depressed to think that "some men actually choose to get married!" is really that much of a revelation to people. (By extension, I suppose, a voluntarily single dame would be equally noteworthy.) While it's naturally understood that guys have to marry to continue the familial line, produce heirs, strengthen alliances, and fatten the family coffers by means of advantageous marriage, we did realize that a few enter into the state willingly. And by the way, we're assuming this argument is limited to "heterosexual men," since the past year has shown no shortage of gay men eager to make things legal with their partner. Don't get me wrong: bully on all these fellas and I wish them happy. But even as it serves to refute the hoary stereotype, this piece is reinforcing it by knocking down an antiquated rom-com-worthy straw man.

Do Men Really Want To Get Married? [CNN]

Apparently, women are taking the initiative with proposing in the UK, and to meet this new "demand," H Samuel jewelers has introduced a male engagement ring, the £79.99 titanium and diamond "Tioro." Male rings are fairly common in Spain and Scandinavia (sported on the right hand post-wedding), but so far are a rarity in England. Says a rep from the jeweler, "UK women are no longer waiting until the man pops the question. We are equals in the work place and in relationships and we make our own decisions..Now this ring is a clear message to everyone that a man is to be married."

Because, as we all know, equality means making an equally inane male Bride Wars in which grooms obsess about the size of their rocks and get into fistfights when their weddings are booked for the same day! And if a guy's not wearing a piece of jewelry, obviously he's incapable of honoring a commitment. I kid, but the fact of the matter is that my fiance has been into this idea for some time, and it's kind of weirded me out. His rationale? "You get to wear a ring. What the hell?!" So maybe they're onto something...if women like me can get over our sexist prejudices.

Engagement Ring For Men Offered By Jewelry Chain H. Samuel. [Telegraph]

So, I went to this thing with Anna. I'm a confirmed bachelorette, and although Anna is engaged, she's forgoing the big wedding thing in favor of eloping. Needless to say, we walked in there a leetle bit biased, which didn't help matters when the first thing I set my eyes on was this NYC trash can, tastefully lined with linen.

I mean, come on. Was it really that much of an eyesore? On the other hand, I wonder if it was some kind of subliminal message like, "See, we can turn trash into class. Let us do that to you!"

Speaking of trash, when I went into the bathroom, I saw this:

Yeah, that's period blood, folks. At least whomever it was won't be having to shop in the maternity section for her white dress.

Okay, so maybe it was the free booze and food, but I sorta loved the whole thing. I was super hungry, and they had these miniburgers and little lobster cups and some kind of cured meat roll. At one point, when I was at one of the cake tasting stations, shoveling a slice of chocolate and strawberry heaven into my mouth, I dropped a chunk on the table. I picked it up, with every intention of putting it in my mouth, but the woman working the booth kinda gave me a look like, "Please don't," so I handed it over to her and she disposed of it.

So here's what struck me most about the whole event: On one side of the room, there were services offering pre-wedding diet plans and food delivery services so that brides can, as the David Kirsch brochure proclaimed,"feel like the most beautiful woman in the room". On the other side, there were catering companies. The diet tables were empty. Everyone was mobbing the the lobster cup lady. (She also had green gazpacho.)

At one table, a group of women were giving out promotional T-shirts and boxers for whatever service they provide. [Wedding dress design. -Ed.] We tried to get one, but they only had XS available. It turns out that wedding showcases are just as confusing when it comes to the expectations of body image as, well, anything else in life, really. All the dresses on the racks were size 0 as well.

This was kinda awesome. They had free massages:

And they had this photo booth there, as an idea of something brides can rent for their receptions:

The goodie bag was sick, full of all kinds of beauty products from Redken and Crabtree & Evelyn, a cake server from Oneida, a bottle opener that looked like a shoe, lots of gift certificates, and a free session of ballroom dancing lessons.

The most ridiculous person we talked to had to be the woman from Disney's Couture Wedding Collection, a destination wedding service provided by Disney for which they put together cookie-cutter wedding packages at one of their Florida resorts. The package includes decorations, food, and rental of the space. It does not include the price of a dress, or anyone's hotel rooms. (The Disney rep also made no mention of booze, so it's probably an add-on.) The starting price for a destination wedding for you and 50 friends? $75,000. I think I deserved a goddamn medal for not laughing in that lady's face right there.

So, did going to the Weddings Showcase change my mind about having a big special day of my own? I mean, I doubt I'll ever find that kind of money to spend on getting my idiot friends drunk for one night. (Especially when Jell-O shots with Georgi vodka tend to do the trick quite well.) But my motto in life is never say never, because I always said I'd never have anal sex, and well, now sometimes I do. So maybe one day, I'll suddenly decide I want to spend my life with one person and have a big open bar party to celebrate that. Hey, it couldn't hurt much more than getting fucked in the ass.

It will not surprise you to find out that the optimal area, marked with the letter A — is when the bride is between 23 and 29 and the groom is between 25 and 34. But not to worry! If you're slightly older, you may fall in the L section: "Good prospect, although they waited too long."


Britney Spears was 23 and Kevin Federline was 26 when they wed, putting them right in the A for "ideal" zone! Meanwhile, Tom Cruise was 44 when he married 27 year old "Kate" Holmes, landing the couple in the area marked K: "May succeed if otherwise unusually well matched." Eva Longoria, 32, tied the knot with Tony Parker, 25, and occupies the T zone: "May succeed if otherwise adapted." Catherine Zeta-Jones married Michael Douglas when she was 31 and he was 56 and we think that's a K, "May succeed." The ages only go as high as 50, so Kevin Costner and Larry King are literally off the charts!

In any case, you probably knew this already but it's worth repeating: If you're a woman over 33, you're fucked. Guys have until they're 38. Happy trails!

YOUR CHANCES FOR HAPPINESS
Here is the key: A—Ideal. B—Not so ideal; if in doubt wait year or two. C—Risky; wait a few years. D—Very dangerous; both far too young. E—Exceedingly dangerous; wait. F—Divorce probable. G—A little less hazardous than F. H—Girl far too young; foolhardy unless otherwise excellently suited. I—Good chance if otherwise well mated. J—Suffering and divorce likely. K—May succeed if otherwise unusually well matched. L—Good prospect, although they waited too long. M—Fair chance. N—Hardly a chance. O—Both far too young; wait at least four years. P—Man too young; wait year or two. Q—Good chance. R—Very slim chance. S—Slim chance. T—May succeed if otherwise adapted. U—Age difference too great; almost hopeless. V—A little less hopeless than U. In every case, white area is safest; dark, most hazardous

Chart Tells When To Marry [Modern Mechanix]