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Popular Culture Review
location. Another obstacle involves the fear that their wedding cake will not be
made, but disaster is averted, much to Lupe's relief.
Of the four weddings featured, theirs is the least lavish. The ceremony
takes place in the backyard of their friends’ modest home with about 40 guests.
Sonja’s son escorts her in first. Lupe, who is accompanied by her sister, comes
in next. There are no others in the bridal party. Their apparel denotes a genderbased element in their relationship, which Lupe had previously explained: Sonja
liked feminine women, and Lupe had changed her “butch” appearance and
mannerisms after she met Sonja. Sonja is dressed in a dressy, flowing white
pantsuit and does not carry any flowers while Lupe wears a white, formal,
cocktail-length gown with matching headdress and carries a bouquet. The
female officiant appears to be a minister, who refers to the “Church of Jesus
Christ,” although there is no mention of “God” or any other religious reference.
Sonja and Lupe repeat gender-neutral vows spoken by the officiant, which are
based loosely on traditional vows.
After they are declared “spouse and spouse,” guests mingle outside for
the reception. However, the weather turns too cold for comfort and the party is
moved indoors, causing more consternation for Lupe, but everything is
rearranged and turns out smoothly. No dancing is shown. Sonja’s son makes a
toast to the happy couple. Their wedding day ends as Sonja and Lupe leave the
home in a limousine. As an epilogue, the viewer sees them enjoying a trip to the
Oceanside during their honeymoon.
Four Main Themes
Taken together, all four weddings share the familiar wedding elements
commonly present in heterosexual wedding ceremonies. They all followed
closely some kind of traditional “wedding” script: a formalized public ceremony
incorporating an exchanging of rings and vows, followed by a reception, with
the two lesbian couples wearing the requisite white. The “packaging” of the
program reflects the message that these formalized events in which gay and
lesbian couples publicly declare their commitment and love to each other are the
same as those of heterosexual couples. Even its title illustrates a subtext of the
program as mainstreaming same-sex unions; the title Gay Weddings certainly
has a more traditional ring than “Same-Sex Commitment Ceremonies,” for
example. This is further manifested by the series’ opening segment, which
features a wedding cake used as a background for the show’s title and names of
the couples written in frosting. The cake toppers, a bride and groom, are
knocked off and replaced with figures of two grooms standing together and two
brides standing together.
All four weddings follow the model of the traditional, heterosexual
wedding, with the exception of the sexual orientation of the couples. However,
some elements are missing in this group of weddings. For example, none of the
ceremonies were held in a church or religious site. Though there is some