The Magic Room

Jeffrey Zaslow has written a book capturing women and their families as they embark on buying a wedding dress / marriage at a small town shop, Beckers Bridal, in Fowler, MI. 

As soon as I saw this, I had to read it.  I went to Becker's to try on dresses for MY wedding.  While, I did not end up getting a dress there, I will say the shop is super cute and completely overwhelming with the amount of gowns!  I think I tried on 3 or 4 there and wasn't impressed and so we continued on to a couple other shops before I found my dress.

The book talks a lot about 'the one.'  I just never got that feeling, yet I completely adored my wedding dress.  I just never got the tears or breathlessness that others talk about.  I just though, hey it's what I was looking for, I look good in it.  Hmm, works for me!  But, I'm not a romantic.  I'm a realist.

"Couples are more successful in marriageif they see themselves as helpmates rather than soulmates. " pg. 20

I really agree with the above.  So many people stay single because they are searching for a 'soulmate' or someone who will knock them off their feet.  But marriage isn't always rosy and romantic.  It's work.  It's sharing the same ideals and goals.  It's supporting each other.  It's teamwork.

The book jumped back and forth with telling the history behind Beckers, statistics about marriage / women/families, and individual brides.  The beginning started out kind of slow but by the middle I was engrossed.

An Excerpt from the book's website

One hundred miles northwest of my home, in a tiny, rural town with one stoplight, I found a place where 100,000 daughters, along with their mothers and fathers, have found themselves reflecting on the word “love.”

It’s a place where, every day, parents can’t help but be enveloped by a swell of emotion as they think back to the love they felt when their daughters were little girls. They think ahead, too, contemplating the love needed to carry their daughters onward from here. These parents know the disappointments and betrayals associated with the word “love,” especially these days. They know the losses that define life. Still, most make their pilgrimage here with a sense of hope and optimism.

My favorite sections where when he talked about the individual brides and their journey to Beckers.

It was a quick read and I would recommend it to those who've made the search for a wedding gown, those who've dreamed of it and those who like the history of a place and a thriving family business.

I was given this book through Crazy Book Tours and all opinions are my own.