I was never “that girl.” You know, the one that planned her wedding before she could walk. In fact, I never really wanted to get married. Most people think that is because my parents were divorced; but it is just the opposite. My parents were happily married for over 30 years when my mom passed almost 7 years ago. Therefore, Lucy Knisley and I had something in common there.
But when Lucy did decide to marry, in the middle of planning it all, she also created Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride. This is pure Knisley. She is funny and serious as she looks at the crazy times of making a wedding for a gal and guy who had bigger bumps in their relationship than Dolly’s… well you know! Not to mention neither really “believe” in the institution…. yet somehow pull it off without killing their loved ones, each other, falling into the “should have traps” or going over the edge. Knisley talks about her own planning, her own issues with marriage, her relationships, her feelings about being bisexual and marrying a man, her feelings on marriage when there (at the time) was little in the way of non-heteronormalized marriages. She creates pages on trying on dresses (and the perfect way she found “The One” WITH POCKETS), traditional vs her ideal and the why and where these traditions come from (some might even surprise you). She laments about the things Facebook does when “Engaged” becomes the female’s status vs. the male’s status, she muses about the pros and cons of wedding planners. And of course, the joy of realizing that this is not your wedding, but your mother’s wedding….
The images of the book are also pure Knisley. Crowed, details everyplace, the color just right, the placement non-traditional. She can be weighty, hard to read through, but just take your time and do not rush. As Lucy was told several times during this year of planning, just enjoy yourself.