A Walk Down the Aisle: Notes on a Modern Wedding

Not only does Kate Cohen write like an angel, she offers an unusual blend of intense and scrupulously honest self-scrutiny with an extremely scholarly and comprehensive storehouse of knowledge about the customs of weddings. From Dante and Milton to Brides magazine, she presents information that is fascinating and often hilarious.

This book should provide comfort for anyone wondering what love is, if they even are in love, and especially, why they should get married in the first place.

Listen to Cohen describe her own love for Adam (the man she eventually marries):

Love "is a slow process...we did not instantly see on one another's faces 'the one' that eternal love songs promise us. We didn't see blessed perfection, the moon and the stars and the sun all rolled up into one. We saw a possibility, one among many."

I chose this quote because it is representative of Cohen's commitment to the truth, and of how well she writes.

So, to all of you who may have cold feet, who are in a quandary of when, where, why, and how to marry, this is the book for you!


A candid and insightful memoir   May 18, 2001
Kate Cohen's candid and insightful memoir is a wonderful reminder that The Wedding is only a part of a greater whole. With wit, intelligence and a touch of well-rearched facts, Cohen explores the nuances of dating, engagement and wedding which make up many modern-day relationships. This book is not just for people interested in weddings or planning for the big day. It's for anyone interested in learning how timeless issues like intimacy, love and death affect us in the world today.


Thoughts on "A Walk Down the Aisle"   May 10, 2001
This is a wonderful book--a thoughtful, insightful, entertaining meditation on a near-universal ritual. Ms. Cohen's writing style is warm and conversational and filled with humor and self-deprecation. I highly recommend this book to anyone in the throes of marriage planning, or to anyone who has been married, who has attended a wedding, or who is simply looking for an enjoyable read.


A true pleasure!   May 10, 2001
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Like the best weddings, A Walk Down the Aisle is serious, joyful, and intimate. As the author examines modern marriage through the lens of her own wedding, she appreciates and questions the role of tradition. She deftly cuts her sensibility with laugh-out-loud humor. And in the books most memorable moments, she provides affectionate glimpses of her fiance and family. I rarely read nonfiction without frequent skimming and a sense of duty, but with this book I enjoyed every word and was sorry when they ran out.


insightful, wise, and thoroughly modern   May 10, 2001
This book is an insightful examination of identity and relationships. Cohen is funny and honest, and any reader in a serious relationship -- whether it is yet headed for marriage or not -- will benefit from her story, which is very personal yet speaks to us all about the joys and anxieties of making another person's life a part of your own. I highly recommend this book!