Stroll through a grocery store and take a gander at the bridal magazines. Page after page reveals taut-skinned, 20ish blushing brides, with an emphasis on all first-time festivities. Bridesmaids dresses. Chapel veils. Slightly scary tiaras. Hair extensions. Mammoth hotel ballrooms. Hyped up DJs. Videographers. Photographers. Gardens of flowers. You get it.

Now, stop off at a nearby “bridal warehouse.” As you enter, you are greeted by row after row of elaborate, rococo gowns, bringing to mind a dreamy Scarlet O’Hara. Where are the racks of sexy pants suits? The real women models? The rooms full of ruby, sapphire and emerald-colored gowns? Where is the section for the older, wiser boomer woman who knows not to get suckered into the $350 snowy faux-satin heels (or a bad husband) this time?!

Still not convinced? Visit premier online wedding sites such as TheKnot.com or Theweddingchannel.com. While these sites are wonderfully engaging, I couldn’t find the link to “42+ brides” anywhere.

The average ceremony costs between $20,000 and $25,000—up about 70 percent from 15 years ago, with nearly half of all couples spending more than they originally planned. Guess who has the money? That’s right. The baby boomer. She is paying for her child’s wedding about now, and she may be getting remarried, or is perhaps marrying for the first time. She is looking for the nearest Wise Bells store, which offers an entire suite of wedding products and services geared towards her family’s needs and preferences? But she can’t find it. Perhaps a wise marketer out there will create it and show her the way.

Amanda Sobanet