Most weddings cost money. Kim Kardashian made money on hers, more than $10 million. After only 72 days, she has filed for divorce from her husband, Nets forward Kris Humphries, leaving everyone to wonder, “What was that about?”
Obviously it wasn’t about love everlasting. The reality is (because Kim is all about reality) the wedding was more important than the marriage. In case you missed it Kardashian’s wedding was eclipsed only by the Royal Wedding. (See our story on Fame). The extravaganza attracted hordes of photographers while magazines and luxury goods companies showered the bride, groom, and guests with goodies. This wedding was all about the swag, not about two people coming together to form a loving, lasting relationship.
Perhaps Kim never watched Sex and the City, not the HBO show, but the film, where Big (Chris Noth) backs out minutes before the ceremony. Like Kim, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) got caught up in the wedding preparation—the Vivienne Westwood gown, the spread in Vogue magazine—so that the marriage became more about the event and less about them. In the end, Carrie and Big finally tied the knot at City Hall. Way to go!
According to the few reports that have leaked out (we are braced for an obscene number of stories in the days and weeks ahead), Kim and Kris never confronted the major issues that every prospective bride and groom should sort out before walking down the aisle. Kris thought they were going to settle down in Minnesota. Seriously? Did he not watch all those episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians? Did he not understand that there was no way Kim was going to leave L.A. behind to live in the freezing Twin Cities?
Sadly, miscommunication between parties is more common than we like to think. Years ago, one of my friends discovered after she got married that her husband didn’t want to have kids. Her first big hint? When they went house hunting and he wanted a den for his business and only one bedroom. No nursery. No family. Next stop: divorce court.
Before the wedding, a dreamy-eyed Kim said that she had always dreamed of a fairy tale wedding. She certainly got that. What didn’t follow, however, was the “lived happily ever after” part. Will her experience influence other young women, those who may have been watching those celebrity nuptials envisioning their own special day? We can only hope.
