Are Bridezillas the New Zombies?

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is at it again! This time the CDC is staying away from the zombie apocalypse craze and focusing on a new topic that requires a disaster preparedness guide—weddings. Wait…weddings?!

No, you did not read that wrong. We are talking about weddings here.

On July 9, 2012, the CDC released a Wedding Day Survival Guide. Located under the blog section of its Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, the guide suggests that weddings, like any natural disaster, require overt planning, preparation, and strategy in order to survive.

What do we have to have to prepare for? Well, according to CDC’s Caitlin Shockey, you need to be ready for potentially uncoordinated flower girls in need of bandages, “monster-in-laws,” and emotionally unstable bridezillas. You should also prepare for the standard, potential pitfalls of any wedding: weather, actual natural disasters, and medical emergencies.

Sure, everyone has heard horror stories of bad weather, drunken relatives, runaway brides or grooms, and other mishaps that turn weddings into disasters, but comparing weddings to disasters seems a bit of a stretch. And it has left a bad taste in a few people’s mouths. Various bloggers immediately posted replies that belittled Shockey’s guide. Katie J.M. Baker of Jezebel—a popular blog geared toward a younger, media savvy, female audience—wrote that the post was sexist and perpetuated vapid stereotypes about crazy, volatile brides.

Despite the negative reaction from the both news and social media correspondents, most of the comments the Wedding Day Survival Guide has received have been positive. Some people find the guide’s tips useful and informative.

In all honesty, the guide made me a little wary of RSVP-ing yes to the next wedding invitation I receive. When did weddings transform from fun celebrations into disasters that you have to survive?

You have to wonder what direction the CDC is going in, and why. If weddings can be likened to natural disasters, what’s next? Alien invasion? Or maybe tips on how to survive your teenage daughter’s demands for an extravagant Sweet Sixteen party and new BMW? One can only speculate what this government agency will deem to be the next big disaster within American society.

Maybe the CDC should make a Divorce Survival Guide—those certainly seem to be the cause of bigger disasters than weddings.

You can find the guide here: blogs.cdc.gov