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A chorus of 'I dos'
in Times Square

Five brides and their GI beaus say their wedding vows

By Toni Fitzgerald
Jun 12, 2009

It was raining, which wasn't really planned for.

So the brides, all five of them, ducked under umbrellas as they crossed Broadway in New York's Times Square.

For a few moments the fleets of yellow taxis that roar up and down the intersection stopped to let them pass, standing as if at attention, as a makeshift honor guard for this most odd procession.

The women were on their way to get married at a ceremony in Times Square. It was to be a ceremony out in the open, but at the last minute a tent was thrown up for the event, which appropriately enough took place on Military Island.

To the strains of “Pachelbel’s Canon in D,” the brides strode down the aisle to meet their grooms, all of them armed servicemen.

Making this wedding all the more special, all the couples had overcome some sort of obstacle, whether it was multiple deployments or a lack of funds for their nuptials, to make it to the altar.

After they’d said their vows, they swayed to a live rendition of “American Idol” finalist Melinda Doolittle’s “Best of Everything,” a first dance for all of New York to see.

The vows were real, but the event was all a stunt, a joint effort between WE tv and the USO produced by the michael alan group yesterday to promote the premiere of WE’s new wedding-focused Sunday lineup.

“We decided we wanted to do something new and fresh focused on the wedding category,” WE president and general manager Kim Martin says. “It was heartwarming and emotional for anyone there.”

Every summer WE tv stages an outrageous, cheeky out-of-home event in Times Square to promote the premiere of “Bridezillas.”

Past stunts have included brides racing each other to the top of a 10-foot-high slice of wedding cake, competing in a cake dive, and completing an obstacle course in wedding dresses.

This year, however, the stunt was more sleek than cheek, reflecting the nation’s somber mood. The network wanted a feel-good event that people could embrace in the midst of a six-year war and a down economy.

“In light of the economy, people are looking for things that are uplifting,” says Martin. “Hosting a wedding for five military couples makes them feel good. People are interested, and I think it raises awareness of our commitment to weddings.”

This year’s event was also different in that it wasn’t just to promote “Bridezillas,” which aired its sixth-season debut last week. The network now has an entire evening of wedding programming on Sundays, and so the Times Square wedding included a cake from New York bakery Cake Alchemy, which is featured on the Sunday show “Amazing Wedding Cakes,” following “Bridezillas.”

The event always draws lots of media coverage, and yesterday was no different. By early afternoon, ABC News had already run footage of the brides, and several other media outlets were expected to do the same.

Toni Fitzgerald is a staff writer for Media Life.	© 2010 Media Life Magazine

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