Christina Aguilera did it for her December 2005 wedding. And a report claims Angelina Jolie just announced she’s doing it for her upcoming wedding with Brad Pitt. And now, couples everywhere are including acts of kindness as a part of their weddings too, making this one of the hottest emerging wedding trends of this year. It's the "Kindness Trend” in weddings.
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| Angie Planning a 'Kind" Wedding? |
Tabloid favorite Angelina Jolie has apparently given her stylist the word to find her a wedding dress. Tongues are wagging that it means she and Brad Pitt are getting closer to becoming a real-life “Mr. and Mrs.” but as one who closely watches wedding trends as part of my role as editor of the popular online wedding guide SuperWeddings, the part I find most intriguing part of this story is *where* Jolie, who earns millions of dollars for each of her box office hits, intends to get her dress.
No Versace for this celebrity bride-to-be.
According to reports, to the disappointment of her stylist who had been chomping at the bit at the thought of dressing Jolie in something spectacular for the much anticipated big day, the controversial actress turned humanitarian wants to purchase her wedding dress from a Goodwill store (Goodwill Industries International). That way the profits go to help the needy. Jolie is presumably hoping that the publicity generated by this move will spur other brides to do the same.
I suspect they just might indeed.
More and more couples right now are incorporating a philanthropic element into their big day – and it’s not just celebrities who are doing this. A wave of couples everywhere are making the choice to do something generous for a good cause as part of their wedding celebration.
Weddings have always had a self-indulgent element to them, and so it’s exciting to see couples generously opening their hearts to others on their wedding day. What a wonderful way to celebrate the love they share – by sprinkling some of that love out to others by doing good.
I believe that kindness is contagious, and this partially explains how this trend has gained the momentum to start sweeping through weddings on a now widespread basis.
With any trend, the more people see of it, the more likely they are to adopt it. But, I think that a lot of people really feel inspired by the good deeds of others. It makes them want to do something good too. When you think about it, it’s a really beautiful way for a couple to start their new life together. I mean, it’s got a good vibe to it.
Based on my experience in the wedding industry, I predict that the kindness trend, as I call it, will continue to pick up momentum over the next 12 months, but unlike other trends that fade completely after reaching their peak, I think the concept behind this one has some staying power. Trends, by their very nature, are flaky. One day everyone’s doing a particular thing, and before long it’s never seen again. But fortunately kindness never completely goes out of style. I think that this current trend will show people how easily charitable elements can be incorporated into weddings, and I expect those ideas will continue to be seen at weddings long after this is no longer the ‘it’ thing of the moment.
I think that people will find that doing something kind for others actually feels amazingly good. And that makes them want to do more of it.
On a more personal note, frankly, I wish this trend had started back when I got married in ’92. I personally have a lot of concern for the well being of animals. Looking back, making a donation in each of my guest’s names to a no-kill shelter would have been more meaningful than all those pretty little wedding favors we gave away. Sure, the favors were gorgeous, but doing something to make a difference would have been an unbeatable feeling. Unfortunately, no one thought of doing this fifteen years ago.
When pop queen Christina Aguilera got married in December 2005, Hurricane Katrina was still very fresh. She requested that, instead of giving wedding gifts, her guests make donations to Katrina victims.
Even fictional personalities are part of this new wave in weddings. The popular comic strip character Cathy did something similar last year when she asked her guests (and readers of the strip) to make a donation to a particular California shelter for homeless animals.
So what’s the impetus behind this growing trend? Here's my theory. In recent times, we’ve witnessed a lot of really harsh realities. September 11. America at war. The Tsunami. Then Katrina. I think that as they spend all that money on a big one-day celebration for themselves, and revel in their own happiness, a lot of caring, socially conscious couples are trying to reconcile that with the suffering many others are experiencing in these times. There may be a little pang of guilt, or simply a genuine desire to share their blessings with others who are nowhere near as fortunate.
Today more and more couples use the details of their weddings to paint an intimate self-portrait of themselves. Through the many wedding-related selections they need to make - the decor, the food, the flower, the favors - they strive to make a statement about who they are so that their wedding day becomes a meaningful reflection of themselves. Certainly, making kindess a part of their weddings or including a philanthropic element says something very special about a couple.
I guess, when all is said and done, this much can be said about Ms. Jolie: Love her or hate her, her little plan to get some publicity and buzz going for charity driven Goodwill stores appears to be working. She can't be all bad.
Linda Kevich is the creator and editor of Super Weddings
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