LOS ANGELES – Call it wholly monetized matrimony. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries are set to be married Saturday in a lavish, made-for-TV celebration of love, devotion and product-placement.
The reality-TV bombshell and her pro-basketball boyfriend will wed at a canyon estate in the tony seaside town of Montecito, near Santa Barbara, Calif. The exact location of the black-tie ceremony has been kept secret, but everything else about the extravaganza — the dress designer, the cake maker, the stationer, the gift registry, the Kardashian-brand perfume — has been touted `til death do us part on celebrity websites, entertainment shows and Kardashian's own blog and Twitter pages. The bridesmaids are even wearing green.
Still, "there are so many surprises!" Kim Kardashian gushed at a party to celebrate the launch of her new Sears clothing line, Kardashian Kollection, mere days before the nuptials. "I think it's just going to be so much fun. I'm really looking forward to the wedding."
Kardashian went on to extoll the deep love and compatibility she and Humphries share. "We have a really good balancing system," she said, before working it back to the clothing line. "Like our personalities — he lets me chill and he gives me my space when I need to design and approve the shoes and the clothes and everything. We just have a good connection."
The marriage will be Kardashian's second and Humphries' first. (She was previously married to music producer Damon Thomas from 2000 to 2004.)
Much has been made of the Kardashian-Humphries wedding invitations, which were decorated with black crystals and arrived in silver boxes. Guests were asked to wear black and white and to keep ceremony details confidential. Even more has been made of the couple's wedding registry at Geary's of Beverly Hills, which totals $172,000 and includes such items as a $1,650 coffee pot and two $1,250 sterling silver vegetable spoons.
Entertainment media have breathlessly reported every available detail on the pending nuptials. And when Kardashian's sisters revealed at Wednesday's launch event that the bridal party will be wearing green, they said it as if dropping a national secret.
Mom Kris Jenner was coy even about her dress, saying only that "it's beautiful" — which would be fitting, of course, for the royal reality-TV wedding of the year, with some speculating its price tag could reach $10 million.
But such expense will surely be offset by the bouquet of wedding deals now in place.
The ceremony and everything leading up to it will be featured in a two-part special on E!, the same network that airs "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and its spinoffs, "Khloe & Lamar," "Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami" and "Kourtney and Kim Take New York."
The special won't air for two months, though, prompting Online card company someecards.com to offer a greeting that reads: "Here's hoping Kim Kardashian's marriage lasts until her wedding special airs in October."
Then there's the magazine exclusive (reportedly with People) that will feature photos and details about the nuptials and the sure-to-be-star-studded guest list. And don't forget Kim Kardashian's Love, a limited-edition perfume that is being sold for $100 a bottle to commemorate the occasion.
Kardashian also constantly updates her five million monthly website visitors and more than nine million Twitter followers about her progress with her pre-wedding workouts (with celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson), her dress fittings (with designer Vera Wang), and her invitation designer (Lehr & Black).
"She's certainly not the first (celebrity) to capitalize on her wedding and photos and the press to get everything paid for and more," said marketing expert Ryan Schinman, chief of Platinum Rye Entertainment. "It's the first that feels a little commercial. But from what everyone sees, she's very much in love, as long as her fiancA© doesn't mind one of the most special moments in their lives being followed and shared with the rest of the world."
Kardashian has made a fortune selling her most intimate moments, from the sex tape that surfaced in 2007 to this weekend's wedding.
And it doesn't stop there. While her everyday activities are documented in her family's reality show, the 30-year-old stylist and former closet-organizer-to-the-stars also has several namesake perfumes, a shoe-shopping website, promotional deals with Sketchers shoes and QuickTrim weight-loss supplements, a series of fitness DVDs, and that new Kardashian Kollection at Sears.
"She's single-handedly been able to bring her entire family into the mix, not just Kim but the entire Kardashian clan," Schinman said. "Corporate America has woken up to the fact that this girl has such a following that she would be an ideal spokesperson who can really help move products, whether it's her own products in beauty and fashion or endorsing traditional companies like Sketchers.
"Right now, there's not a hotter reality personality out there than Kim."
And by selling the wedding, she helps keep it that way. Her fans are hanging on every incremental announcement, said Gillian Sheldon, vice president of programming for BUZZMEDIA, which produces the Kardashians' websites.
"People have shared in her love story and everyone is so excited," Sheldon said. "Not everyone can be invited to her wedding, but she brings people in with her blog, with a TV special on E!. She genuinely wants to share the moment with her fans because she cares that much about them."
Kardashian's website will feature a "virtual guest book" fans can sign on her wedding day, Sheldon said.
Could there be a backlash against the beautiful socialite-turned amateur porn star-turned reality TV entrepreneur for having a made-for-TV wedding? Schinman says no.
"People expect it from her," he said. "She needs to stay relevant and this has to be shared because that's how she makes her money."
It's all part of the lucrative Kim Kardashian brand. And one she zealously protects. Last month, Kardashian sued Old Navy for using a model who resembles her in its advertising.
"She is the brand and the people behind her are the people that are making the business decisions," Schinman said. "Part of it is luck, part of it is timing, and part of it is great business."
Kardashian said "I do" to that years ago.
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Online:
http://kimkardashian.celebuzz.com/
www.twitter.com/KimKardashian
http://www.eonline.com/on/shows/kardashians/index.html
www.someecards.com
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AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen can be reached at www.twitter.com/APSandy.
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