I come from a norther suburb of Philadelphia, where news coverage is often a frustrating mixture of (sometimes seemingly pointless) local stories and national news.  One would think that an established Philadelphia area newspaper, in one of the most recognizable cities on the east coast, would be able to stand up to other major east coast papers, such as the New York Times in many ways.  The differences between the Philadelphia Intelligencer and the New York Times are far more numerous than this blog post leaves room for.  However, one of the most interesting sections of the papers that zooms in on this disparity is the Wedding Announcements.  The New York Times is famous (infamous?) for their selectivity in which announcements actually make it to print.  An article published by The Atlantic takes  an interesting, analytical look at this, entitled “The Odds of Getting into The New York Times Wedding Section”.  In this article, we find that many factors exponentially increase a couple’s chances of making it in The Times, down to the very number.  Certain factors that are almost criteria for making it, according to this article, are family ties to Greenwich, CT, a Harvard/Princeton/Yale degree, ties to Congress, same-sex marriage, or a prestigious career in law or investment banking.  It is obvious that the demographic in the NYT wedding section is overwhelmingly the white, upper-class elite.  On the other hand, our good ol’ Philly Burbs paper features a wedding and news hybrid, almost blocking out any other wedding announcements. This article, called “Paralyzed Bride-to-Be Plans to Walk Down the Aisle,” features a long segment on a young woman and her fiancee’s love prevailing in the face of hardship.  The couple featured hold middle-class jobs – Alissa is a nurse and Nathan is in the military.  This highly personalized and publicized story is quite a stretch from the selective NYT, who’s who couples of American society.

Sources:
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2011/12/odds-getting-new-york-times-wedding-section/45440/
http://www.phillyburbs.com/lifestyle/celebrations/paralyzed-bride-to-be-plans-to-walk-down-aisle/article_7eb867be-08bb-11e2-b46b-0019bb30f31a.html