by Jennifer A. Harris

Created on: January 14, 2010   Last Updated: January 20, 2010

Who will watch a 24-hour television network devoted to brides-to-be?  Brides, of course, aspiring wedding planners and just about anyone entertained by watching other people plan their nuptials; and with the increasing number of wedding reality shows dotting the cable television landscape, the audience is apparently a large one.  

Let’s face it, weddings are big business in the U.S.  According to

the website, $72 billion dollars are spent on weddings each year, with $20,000 as the average budget of couples planning their walk down the aisle.  With soon-to-be-married lovebirds ready to spend that kind of loot, it’s easy to imagine plenty of eyeballs will be glued to a bridal network that will, at least, give them ideas on how to plan one of the most important events in their lives.  

Audiences already get a glimpse of what it’s like to create the ultimate romantic fantasy when money is no object, (“Platinum Weddings”) and vicariously indulge in the queen-for-a-day makeover of modern brides who have no clue as to how to plan their dream wedding (“My Fair Wedding with David Tutera”).  Even the nightmarish “Bridezillas” draws in viewers with the tantrum-throwing antics of these “monster” brides and their “it’s-all-about-me” attitudes.  Considering most of these shows are currently aired two or three times a day during their season/cycle, it’s not farfetched to see people tuning in to a 24-hour bridal network to see these type of shows.

For brides-to-be, (and even wedding consultants), this network will be the video version of the mammoth, glossy wedding magazines, with a little drama thrown in for good entertainment.  The shows on the network would be a virtual one-stop broadcast shop on everything bridal; like how to choose a bridal gown, rings and flowers to how to come up with a theme, rent a hall and try to keep what's left of your sanity in the process.

Although the main target audience will be brides, this network will also attract diehard romantics who love weddings.  I’m talking about people such as my mother, who, if given the opportunity, will wax on about how enchanting it was to watch the royal union of England’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana.  She awoke at some ungodly hour on a July morning to take in the American live broadcast of the couple exchanging vows in what was dubbed the “fairytale wedding.”  That was the closest to wedding reality t.v. back in 1981.  Now with invites to local weddings a rarity, she can get a quick fix by watching the various bridal television shows.  She says it’s not the same as going to a live wedding, but it’s the next best thing, especially if she can see a couple married at an exotic beachside resort. 

While some roll their eyes at the mere thought of a 24-hour bridal t.v. network, others are excited about the idea that they can tune in to a channel that focuses on nothing but weddings.  Any time. Day or night.

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