Stefi Oktaviona Oktaviona itibaren Tuctapari, Bolivya itibaren Tuctapari, Bolivya

I'll probably get hatemail from English majors for saying this but I think this book is overated. May be it has to do with the fact that I was only 18 when I read it so I'm perfectly willing to acknowledge that perhaps I just didn't "get it."

Just great adlib, shoot from the hip writing

When I was planning my commitment ceremony, there weren't a lot of books out there for me and my partner. Sure, there are books about gay and lesbian love and books about gays and lesbians who live in long term committed relationships, but nothing quite like The Conscious Bride. What impressed me about this book was the fact that Sheryl Nissinen, though clearly having heterosexuals in mind for her target audience, acknowledged the existence of same sex love and marriage and invited readers to interpret the book in a way that was right for them. Nissinen deals with the underbelly of marriage: the often unspoken anxiety and fear that many people feel when planning a wedding. She talks about marriage as a rite of passage and encourages women (and every other participant, for that matter) to embrace the emotions that come their way, whether they are sadness and grief or happiness and joy. In fact, she tells brides to expect both and to not freak out if every feeling they have isn't considered positive. I found this kind of advice to be invaluable and important and highly recommend that women getting married take it to heart. I will admit that the "maiden-esque" language of the book got a little tiring after awhile and at times seemed repetitive. The emphasis on mythology also didn't do it for me. But I found skimming past these things relatively easy and the crux of the book to be worthwhile whether you are a lesbian bride or a heterosexual one. We are all human and these emotions are universal. Brides who take this into consideration are sure to have a much richer wedding experience.

This book is about China in the 1990s, which was when I was living in Shanghai, so I had a lot of moments of recognition reading it. I also had a few "so that's what that was" moments. I really enjoyed it, but you might have had to have been there to appreciate it. It's a little outdated now, but still well written.