Target is in the media target in an NPR story by Cheryl Corley - appropriately aired in June, as it's about weddings. Not only does Target have its Club Wedd site, where brides and grooms flushed with licensed avarice can register, but it had designer Isaac Mizrahi create a selection of wedding dresses, all of which are about $160 or less. The story indicated that these prices were, to use the vernacular, way cheap, but had the requisite expert saying that getting a gown for that special day isn't like shopping online for a blender, and that it's not an impulse buy.

I would have liked exploration of a slightly different angle. Brides aren't buying a collection of things: dress, favors, flowers, catering, and so on. They're buying an experience they've been brought up to believe as their birthrights. That explains all the bridal magazines - with nary a groom in sight. The wedding is all about her. That means the bride will want people to know she's important, to cater to her, and, most importantly, to play their designated parts in her fantasy-come-true. It's hard to expect that white charger to come roaring through the computer monitor.