The Daily Universe publishes a magazine called the Bridal Guide. This magazine is seen all around the BYU campus with a beautiful bride on the cover in a cream-colored gown and simple bouquet in her hands. The BYU campus is drowned in the dating attitude; consequently, this captivating cover draws attention to the magazine. But the Bridal Guide isn’t just for looks. Bride Guide gives quality advice on many concerns in a wedding. It also provides information to act on the advice it gives, namely through local advertisements. The Bridal Guide inspires each soon-to-be bride to personalize her wedding by displaying many options for the basic wedding elements: cake, dress, decorations, locations, photography, rings, and more. This magazine benefits brides, grooms, mothers of the bride and groom, bridesmaids, and nearly everyone involved in planning a wedding.
The Bridal Guide relates to the audience through credibility (ethos), emotional appeals (pathos), and logical (logos) appeals, as well as rhetorical tools. Each aspect connects together to form a great approach to planning a successful and personalized wedding. The magazine can be found online or in the Wilkinson Student Center on the BYU campus.
Ethos:
The Bridal Guide is published through BYU’s Daily Universe. The Daily Universe compiles advertisements and articles seasonally to create this magazine. The credibility of each article author flows together. The articles, from wedding etiquette to honeymoon budget tips, are written with the same intent: to inform the reader of all options available so that a bride can make the best decision. While the credibility of the authors is quickly assumed valid, advertisers may have a more difficult time receiving credibility. The advertisers in this magazine submit websites and phone numbers to the public. Publishing their information shows credibility because if their advertising works, someone is sure to contact them and expect what was advertised.
Pathos:
The intended audience of the Bridal Guide is obviously the soon-to be bride. Each bride pictures her wedding as the perfect day with the perfect dress, beautiful cake, and expressive decorations. It’s shown in Hollywood fairytales how perfect a wedding can be. Every bride wants to be the princess of that fairytale. But the perfect wedding is not easy to plan. The Bridal Guide addresses almost every subject associated with weddings, from dresses to changing the name on a driver’s license. Planning a wedding, let alone a perfect wedding, can be extremely overwhelming and stressful. But with each concern laid out in one place, in this one magazine, it’s easier for the bride to be organized and less stressed. There is an article about picking out the wedding gown. It gives advice about when to start looking, what attitude to shop with, and how to make the best personal decision. Not only is this magazine a stress-reliever, it’s fun to look at! The pictures and snap shots of couples and brides help each bride to imagine her own wedding. Each woman thinks of herself as the one smiling in the pictures with her own prince charming. The author appeals to the emotions of the audience by giving relevant, needed advice, and through displaying images that connect with the audience.
Logos:
The logical appeals of the Bridal Guide to the audience are shown through visuals. The Bridal Guide presents options and gives advice for picking the best one. For example, there is an article that talks about the engagement ring. The article states, “When a diamond is well-cut, every facet will reflect upon it.” This statement is logical because the nicer the ring, the more impressive it will be. And obviously, the groom wants to give a nice ring to his bride, so he takes this statement as truth, which it is. Another example of logos is shown through pictures of different cakes. Each wedding must be altered to fit the personality of the couple getting married. Even the cake must show personality. In this magazine, there are two full pages of different styles of cake. As the personality of the wedding as a whole changes, the personality of the cake must change too.
The truth in the articles, sense of them, and the feelings associated with the articles makes the Bridal Guide a great tool for planning a wedding. These appeals are enhanced by rhetorical techniques. They allow for easier understanding of bridal advice, and the greater likelihood of action on the bride’s part. The Bridal Guide uses many rhetorical tools, all in different ways, yet tie together to create a great resource. Here are some of the ways these tools are being executed:
1. Tone – The tone of the Bridal Guide, is critical, yet optimistic advice. Brides need constructive criticism to make the best possible decision. In the article, “Here Comes the Bride – Ten things you should know before buying your wedding gown,” one of the tips is to “Embrace Your Decision: ‘Once you have selected your wedding gown of choice, do not question your decision. Mentally decide to love you dress from that day forward no matter what!’” This is a great example of constructive advice in an optimistic way. The tone of the article keeps brides excited and optimistic to avoid the stress of planning a wedding.
2. Diction – Diction is word choice and meaning. A two-page spread of the Bridal Guide displays seven different cake styles: "Choose a cake that fits your personality." The author this article is trying to communicate that cakes can have a matching personality with the bride and groom. The word choice combined with visual examples of different cakes inspires the bride to think of the kind of cake that would fit her personality.
3. Connotation –Cinderella is the epitome of a princess. Every bride wants to be Cinderella. One particular ad in the magazine is advertising a bridal shop called “Fairy Godmother’s Bridal” The connotation of the name brings to mind that every girl can be a Cinderella; once she goes into Fairy Godmother’s bridal shop, she will find the most beautiful dress of her very own. The connotation leads to thinking that each bride can have her own beautiful fairy tale wedding.
4. Denotation - Denotation is the literal meaning of a word. There is an article titled "Weddings on a Budget." Many couples getting are in college, or just out of college and do not have a lot of money to spend on a wedding. The title, “Weddings on a Budget” entices the penny-pinching couples to read the article for some advice. The literal meaning of the word budget helps the couples get organized and plan effectively for their wedding.
5. Imagery- An advertisement:
"The Skyroom's breath-taking views and delicious menu make it an ideal location for your wedding celebration." I immediately imagine the perfect scenario of my wedding with my favorite food in a beautiful romantic atmosphere. I bet every other bride is picturing her perfect scenario as well. These words spark images into the minds of the audience. In the magazine, there are two full page advertisements for Skyroom Wedding Celebration but they look completely different. The same information is there, like context, telephone number, and website, but the style of the two pages is totally different. The effectiveness of the advertisement is doubled because different people will look at the different ads.
6. Over-statement – One article’s title is "The Perfect Bridesmaid: A happy bridesmaid makes a happy bride." A happy bridesmaid DOES NOT guarantee the happiness of a bride. I think this is definitely an over-statement. But one’s BFF who never ceases to serve as a bridesmaid can contribute to the happiness and stress-maintenance of the bride.
7. Figurative Language – In the article, “The Perfect Bridesmaid,” it says, “Being a bridesmaid is a job that requires patience, selflessness and humility. How else could a girl stand there, wearing a hideous taffeta number in lime green, so that her best friend will shine even more brightly and beautifully in comparison?” This sentence helps the reader imagine what the bridesmaid looks like. The reader imagines her best friend willing to give up her own good looks for the sake of the bride. It puts an image and emotion into the reader.
8. Personification - "Fun and flirty, this cake can go for any shape and color." Can a cake be flirtatious? No, it physically cannot. But looking at a cake that is well designed can evoke personal emotional, which affects how you think and act.
The Daily Universe uses ethos, pathos, logos, and rhetorical tools to capture the audience. Ring styles, wedding gowns, and different styles of cake show the audience that there are plenty of choices in a wedding. Each bride can match her wedding to fit her personality. The Bridal Guide informs the readers about the options available in all aspects of a wedding. It advertises local bridal shops and jewelry dealers for the convenience of current college students. Overall, the Bridal Guide inspires every bride to personalize her wedding by advertising many options for the basic wedding elements and giving advice on almost every subject address to a wedding.
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