DEAR ABBY: I live in Japan and love your column. It is informative and helps me stay in touch with America. But I need to get something off my chest.
I am beyond tired of the number of women I read about in your column who refer to their wedding day as "my special day." News flash, ladies: You should be using the term "our special day"! If you're so focused on your dress and hair and any faux pas -- real or imagined -- your guests may commit that you lose focus on the life you and your husband are beginning, perhaps you should buy a pet rather than get married.
Any person who has stayed married for more than a few years knows the marriage ceremony is the easy part. The self-absorption that permeates today's wedding scene ranges from embarrassing to sickening. -- ROB IN TOMAKOMAI
DEAR ROB: Weddings (and funerals) can bring out the worst in people because they are times when emotion sometimes trumps common sense. The majority of American brides are gracious, polite, loving and hardworking. They are also prepared for the realities that come after the fairy tale wedding. (And if they're not, I hear from them!) Please don't judge all American brides by the ones you read about in my column. The weddings that go smoothly I don't hear about.