It's quite possible I'm projecting a bit, I've just never known a man (myself included) to be heavily invested in the wedding ceremony itself, while women have a definite tendency in that direction. A lot of it is probably conditioning, and I DID say my experience was limited. Personally, I consider marriage a private affair between the participants, and the ceremony as something for public consumption to be endured until you can get on with your life. In my own case, for example, I'd be completely satisfied to just make an appointment with a priest in a nice park, but m'lady has a certain vision of how she wants her wedding to be, and I want that vision to be realized as much as possible (also, I'm reliably informed that my mother-in-law would hunt both of us down and kill us slowly if she couldn't make a fuss over it. ) But I'm a T-shirt and jeans kinda guy, and the grooms I've known have been, too, so that likely colors my view of it.