A news story caught my attention this morning, and I have been thinking about it ever since. Along with its fast food, McDonald's is now offering weddings - McWeddings, I assume - in Hong Kong.
Apparently, restaurants are a common venue for Hong Kong weddings, but they can be pricey. McDonald's offers the whole package of invitations, decorations, and food for $1282. The bride's dress costs extra, but it too is available. A wedding at McDonald's is a bargain, relatively speaking.
When I first heard about the story, I shook my head, rolled my eyes, and resolved to write a blog entry about it. But what you are reading is not the essay I originally had in mind, which was going to be flip and critical. One of the accounts on the Internet that I read certainly followed this line, dubbing these weddings tacky and nauseating.
But I stopped and thought about the motives of couples who would get married at a McDonald's, realizing that I have no idea what they might be in any given case. I could think of some possibilities, though, and none of these is tacky.
So, perhaps those tying the knot under the golden arches have a sense of humor. That's a great way to begin life together, and good for them. Retelling the story of their wedding years later will certainly be fun.
Along these lines, perhaps these couples have a sense of irony and are deliberately contrasting the solemn occasion of a wedding with the frivolous setting of a fast food restaurant. Again, good for them, although they would probably need to spell out the irony for many folks.
Not far from where I live in Ann Arbor is a small town named Hell, Michigan, which has a wedding chapel that does a thriving business. One of my colleagues claims to have been married there - she may or may not be teasing - but I have always loved her wry comment: "My marriage began in Hell."
Or perhaps those who marry at a McDonald's actually like the place. The story I read quoted a McDonald's manager in Hong Kong who spoke about the couples interested in McWeddings: "They date here, they grew their love here, so when they have this important day, they want to come over here." Again, good for them. Getting married in a familiar and beloved place seems more sincere than - for example - getting married in a church one has rarely if ever attended.
Or maybe people get married at a McDonald's because this is what they can afford, or what they choose to afford. How dare we call anyone tacky who does not want to start a marriage by running up tens of thousands of dollars in debt, for themselves or for their families? I think an inexpensive wedding makes sense for those of modest or even not modest means, and again, I say good for them.
