More than seventy years later, Becker’s Bridal --- now run by Eva’s granddaughter, Shelley Becker Mueller --- is still doing business in small-town Fowler, Michigan. The divorced mother of three, Shelley bought the business from her parents, Clark and Sharon Becker, who, in turn, bought it from Clark’s parents, Eva and Frank. Each generation put its own imprint on Becker’s, but it was Shelley who created the Magic Room.

Housed in a former bank, the store’s old vault lay cluttered with racks and dresses until Shelley transformed it into the ultimate staging area: a quiet, softly lit dressing room away from the chatter of the sales floor. “You want mirrors everywhere, taking every bride into infinity…. [because] remember, it’s still very much the ‘money room’” (p. 191).

And for Shelley, clinching the sale has become more critical than ever. Whereas during Eva’s reign, a woman might try on two or three dresses before making her selection, now, “the search for the gown has become a weeks-long quest” (p. 54) involving multiple stores, a gaggle of friends, and sometimes ending with the bride buying her gown on the Internet for less money.

Everything about the wedding --- especially the brides --- has changed dramatically over the years. “About a third of brides today are divorced, buying a dress for a second or third wedding” (p. 19), while “25 percent of first-time brides already have children” (p. 23). Yet, each bride-to-be still arrives at Becker’s with a heart full of fears and hopes about life after her walk up the aisle.

Today, there is no such thing as a “typical” bride. Women like thirty-nine-year old Meredith Maitner are embarking on first-time marriages later in life after successful careers trumped lackluster romances. Others, like Ashley Brandenburg, meet their future husbands on the Internet, or, like Jennifer Otto, wed after having a child with someone besides the bridegroom.

"On any given weekend, an average of fifty-four Becker’s brides find their way down the aisles” (p. 257), and while many of those marriages won’t last, several relationships have already overcome challenging obstacles. Megan Pardo lost part of her fingers on her right hand in a car accident shortly after buying her dress at Becker’s.

While Julie Wieber, a young widow, is remarrying against the wishes of her four children. These women and many others visit the Magic Room in Jeffrey Zaslow’s deeply moving, eponymous book. By sharing each bride’s unique story and that of Becker’s Bridal itself, Zaslow offers an unforgettable glimpse into the lives of some very real modern women and --- like the Magic Room’s seemingly infinite mirrors --- reflects the enduring hopes, dreams, and love that we cherish for them.

2. How do you think the idea of “love” has changed over time?

3. Zaslow researched the history of marriage in The Magic Room. How has our outlook on weddings changed over time? Is it for the better?

4. Of the many women Zaslow profiles, whose story resonates with you most and why?

5. If you are married, did The Magic Room reaffirm the decision you made regarding your dress? If you are unmarried, did the book affect the way you may one day approach your purchase?

6. Discuss the unusual vows that Erika and her sisters made. Do you think divorce rates would be lower if most men and women took a similar vow?

7. How did you feel about Julie’s decision to remarry so soon after she became a widow?

8. Becker’s Bridal is in a constant struggle for survival, in part, because some budget-conscious brides find their gowns at Becker’s and then order them online for less. Has reading The Magic Room made you reconsider your own shopping habits?

9. “In the 1930s, wedding dresses were still expected to be multifunctional, rather than one-time-only fashion statements. A lot of women would wear their gowns at their weddings, and then months later, dye or hem them for other important occasions, or even as maternity wear” (p. 39). In our age of reduce, recycle, and reuse, should this practice be revived? What do you think of the recent trend toward “trashing the dress”?

10. “Despite Eva’s clear lack of a soft spot, she was a trailblazer as a woman in the workplace. She not only kept the business afloat but expanded it at a time when women were almost exclusively in the home” (p. 43). Do women today still need to be as tough as Eva in order to succeed?

11. Did Shelley make the right decision to take over Becker’s Bridal? Should Alyssa follow in her footsteps?

12. Have you read The Girls from Ames? How would you say the female relationships between friends and mothers/daughters differ?