To collect a body of research based on a chosen headline from a newspaper bought on Saturday October 23rd. This research is to include: 20 opinions; images; statistics; facts and words.
The Wedding of Katy Perry and Russell Brand
Despite not particularly being a fan of either Katy Perry or Russell Brand, I decided to choose this story to investigate further. I love a happy wedding story, and maybe deciding whether this elaborate affair was tacky or fantastic is why this headline stood out for me. Or maybe it is an excitement for the beautiful Indian arts. It could be my interest in religion, as the pair had a Hindu style wedding despite neither being of this faith. From what seems like a fairly simple newspaper article, many different issues sparked in mind arising from this.
During this research week I have also kept my eyes open for other stories in the news relevant to this, one being extravagant 'celebrity' weddings. I saw one on the television programme 'Wedding House', where two ex Big Brother housemates married along with celebrity look alikes such as Britney Spears and Victoria Beckham. A George Clooney-alike gave away the Bride.
Article - The Times, Saturday October 23rd 2010
Thursday, 21/10/10, Metro Saturday, 23/10/10, Todayshow.com
Saturday, 23/10/10, Perez Hilton Saturday, 23/10/10, BBC News
Sunday, 24/10/10, Sunday Express Sunday, 24/10/10, The Sunday Times
Sunday, 24/10/10, The Mail on Sunday
Sunday, 24/10/10, Holy Moly Sunday, 24/10/10, Amy Grindhouse
Monday, 25/10/10, MSN Celebrity Monday, 25/10/10, The Times
Monday, 25/10/10, NZ City Monday, 25/10/10, NME
Thursday, 28/10/10, NME Thursday, 28/10/10, Perez Hilton
Opinions
I looked on the Internet for opinions, and found plenty of well wishers, but also comments from some who obviously aren't fans. I also asked friends and family what they thought about the article. These are 20 interesting opinions.
The Superficial- "Their marriage won't last because it was entirely pre-orchestrated by their agents to make Russell a believable romantic lead and Katy not look like she hangs homosexuals in her backyard with her dad."
Alexbe- "Wishing you the best as you & Russell were made for each other :-)"
YKLT -"Well praise the heavens. Now we can move on. Got sooo sick of hearing about it. Have a feeling it's not over yet. They might try to pull off the Pam Anderson/Kid Rock thing and get married in multiple locations."
Rosey083 -"Wasn't she just bashing Lady Gaga for her misuse of the catholic religion and she goes and has an Indian wedding? Hypocrite."
Stephy- "Congratulations! I love them both! I love that they had the exotic theme but also had personal parts like her family friend being the minister. I bet it was wonderful! Hopefully they allowed some pics to be taken. Glad the paps didn't crash it though!"
Queen Britney- "I
don't see why people are bashing them for getting married in India. They have the right to get married anywhere they want just because they are from America doesn't mean they have to get married in the US. They wanted to have a Indian theme in their wedding and there is nothing wrong with that. People should get over it - its Katy and Russel's wedding not the public."
Great below- "I hope they get eaten by the tigers."
Naf- "I give them a year. The more extravagant and anticipated the wedding, the more likely it is to fail. Wait till everyone gets sick of her and her music. We'll see what's left after fame."
Brenda- "It is her money she worked hard for it and should be able to spend it the way she wants. Besides it was her special day. CONGRATS KATY AND RUSSELL."
Cher- "I wonder how much bottled water, meds, supplies $7000 [the amount K.P. spent on shoes for the wedding] could have provided to the people of Haiti? I’m tired of reading about these spoiled little princesses. There are people dying in this world due to lack of available funds for medical care. These are the stories that should be on the front page. Shame on us as a society when fluffy stories like this make the front page!"
Abbs5522- "OK please tell me why they had traditional Indian and Hindu customs when that is NOT their culture and had a Christian minister perform the ceremony. If they got engaged in India then maybe they should have had an Indian themed reception or a honeymoon in India. Why partake in traditional customs of a culture that is not your own on a very special day of your life? It is very odd and it feels like these two rushed into getting engaged and getting married and I have a feeling this marriage will not last very long."
C.D. "I think this is pure attention seeking and is trying to set the bar for other celebrity couples. This gives them more publicity and interest in trying to keep it a secret and provokes the media to follow them on other media and fame-related opportunities"
C.S. "I just think they're doing something that befits their kooky/wacky image, as I get the feeling that a traditional christian wedding would be too "normal" for them. They were always going to throw the cash around and splash out on it regardless of how the ceremony was performed. Interesting that it be a Hindu ceremony, not just because neither of them are remotely Hindu, but I imagine it would really piss off Perry's parents seeing as how they're Christian pastors... then again if they can accept that their daughter is marrying Russell Brand, who, well, lets face it, is a tosser, then a Hindu wedding probably doesn't bother them that much."
H.B. "I think its really cute (it doesn't help that I'm currently watching my Russell brand DVD), and I think its lovely that they're doing things classy for an Indian wedding. Russell is really intelligent when it comes to religion and always talks about Hinduism. At a Hindu wedding, it isn't seen as attention seeking for the groom to arrive on a white stallion- they usually arrive on elephant, so he's just following traditional Hindu rituals. Everyone splashes out on their big day, so why shouldn't they? They just have more money to splash! Its nice to see him finally married because he's notorious for sleeping around. I don't think its attention seeking as media weren't involved and most media and people didn't know they'd tied the knot until the day after! :)"
H.L. "I was thinking, her parents are going to be pissed, but this is nothing compared to "I kissed a girl and I liked it!""
N.E. "I think its attention seeking to an extent just to grab the headlines. Saying that though, all celebrities seem to be the same nowadays, but to be honest, if you've got so much money like that then why not be extravagant, do something different and splash the cash!"
A.L "First of all nothing in that article is actually reported as a fact... just speculation by a journalist conforming to a stereotype in order to sell newspapers...
The writer obviously wants you to believe that it is attention seeking etc but I find it laughable that he claims 'nobody would have batted an eyelid if they'd have just slipped into a registry office in stoke-on-trent' - The media would have had a field day! I think that the reported wedding plans are romantic in the sense that they obviously have personal relevance to the two of them - they don't hold traditional christian beliefs so they're not having a traditional christian wedding. I think that as long as the two of them are happy and enjoy their "big day" that is the most important thing. How much money they spend and the manner in which it is done is irrelevant. Ultimately, anybody in love can be forgiven for trying to celebrate it in the most enjoyable, memorable way possible. Too much bashing of successful people for making the most of their talent (and therefore money) in the media these days. They should be commended and aspired to - we only get 80 years, lets not waste them worrying what people might say about us having a good time :)"
My Opinion- "It's hard to form an opinion on the subject of my chosen article as I don't know what is fact and what is rumour. I've read many articles about their wedding, all claiming many extravagant things, but when I don't know what actually happened, who am I to say whether this wedding was a tacky, attention seeking event or simply two successful celebrities getting married? I somehow can't see them lasting forever, despite the amazing wedding celebration they might be having. I also can't seem to understand why they are allegedly having a traditional Hindu wedding in India, as Katy is famous for her strict Christian upbringing, and so there is a chance this wedding could offend people. One things for sure, it will definitely be a wedding remembered forever by the couple and the guests."
Words
These words sum up what I have gathered from my body of research.
Romance, Marriage, Wedding, Tacky, Extravagance, Money, Attention, Celebrity, Fake, Religion, Culture, Rumour, Love, Drama, Lavish, Divorce, Celebration, Happiness, Traditional and Different.
Images
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Liz Hurley's Indian Wedding
(Sold to Hello Magazine) |
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Celebrity Look Alike Filled Wedding
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Harry Potter Themed Wedding |
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MSN Celebrity
Extravagant dresses, exotic locations, week long events -
Perry & Brand's wedding isn't the first over the top celebrity affair |
Perry and Brand's 'Save the Date' cards
With so many articles telling different stories, its hard to know what is true and what is just a rumour! Here are the statements I know are facts:
Katy and Russell's relationship began after the 2009 VMA's
Russell proposed on holiday in India at New Year 2010
Katy and Russell married in India on October 23rd 2010
Katy Perry was raised Christian
Katy Perry's best friend Rihanna didn't attend the wedding due to work commitments
The wedding ceremony was spiritual and private, attended by close friends and family
The wedding was performed by a Christian minister who is a long time friend of the Hudson family
CONDÉ NAST BRIDES have released their 2008 UK Wedding Industry survey results, and there are a number of positive figures showing. Here are some of the most interesting points:
- The average overall cost of getting married is £22,858 (up from £21,901 in 2007)
- Couples in London and the South East spend on average £23,932
- Couples in Wales and the South West spend on average £18,991
- 53% of couples pay for most of the wedding costs
- 35% of brides would consider cosmetic surgery for their wedding (an increase of 21% year on year)
- 5% couples in the UK will sign a pre-nuptial agreement (7% Scottish, 6% Londoners, 5% Welsh & 2% Midlands and North/North East)
- 88% of brides will take their husband’s surname once married. 3% will keep their own, while 7% of couples are combining surnames.
- The average length of an engagement remains 18 months
- 93% of couples plan to live together, or are already doing so, prior to their wedding.
- The average engagement ring costs £2,090 (a 6.1% increase from 2007)
- 61% of brides choose their own engagement ring
- 3% of grooms will not wear a wedding ring
- 45% of couples chose a religious ceremony
- Brides in East Anglia spend most on flowers, at £750, spending 44% more than the UK average spend of £520.
- Brides paid an average of £1,200 for their dress.
- 17% of couples have their honeymoon in Europe.
- Couples spend an average of £3,860 on their honeymoon.
- The average age to get married for a bride is 29 and that of a groom is 31
The Superficial- "Their marriage won't last because it was entirely pre-orchestrated by their agents to make Russell a believable romantic lead and Katy not look like she hangs homosexuals in her backyard with her dad."
Alexbe- "Wishing you the best as you & Russell were made for each other :-)"
YKLT -"Well praise the heavens. Now we can move on. Got sooo sick of hearing about it. Have a feeling it's not over yet. They might try to pull off the Pam Anderson/Kid Rock thing and get married in multiple locations."
Rosey083 -"Wasn't she just bashing Lady Gaga for her misuse of the catholic religion and she goes and has an Indian wedding? Hypocrite."