happily-ever-after

But perhaps, given Diana's unhappy example, the article ought to have asked other questions: why is our culture still so in thrall to the myth of the perfect princess and the happily-ever-after marriage?

Kate Middelton and Charlene Wittstock: A tale of two princesses 2011

When I first heard Cady was coming back to help wrap things up, I assumed — foolish me — that her spirit would show up and bless Tad and Cara's relationship and send them happily-ever-after into the sunset.

All My Children's Michael E. Knight Reflects on Soap's Cancellation and the Return of Dixie 2011

So, how did I finally get that last bit of unrealistic, happily-ever-after gum off my shoe that my loved one was FINALLY going to get the notion that life with me and sobriety was better than drinking?

Carole Bennett, MA: When It's Over, It's Over -- The Sad Relief of the Final Chapter With the Alcoholic/Addict MA Carole Bennett 2011

You're probably setting yourself up for disappointment if you're expecting a happily-ever-after resolution for many of the main characters anytime soon.

Ask Matt: Once Upon a Time, Grey's, Fringe, More on Laugh Tracks and More! 2011

With all the disappointments and lost dreams of the war, there was something reassuring about knowing that for a few members of their detachment, at least, it had ended in a happily-ever-after.

A Covert Affair Jennet Conant 2011

So, how did I finally get that last bit of unrealistic, happily-ever-after gum off my shoe that my loved one was FINALLY going to get the notion that life with me and sobriety was better than drinking?

Carole Bennett, MA: When It's Over, It's Over -- The Sad Relief of the Final Chapter With the Alcoholic/Addict MA Carole Bennett 2011

But the guilt of bringing sickness into the family, the knowledge that, if not for your disease, life may have gone as planned and you may have had the happily-ever-after you dreamed of begins to weigh heavily on the individual and the couple.

Hillary St. Pierre: I Considered A "Medicaid Divorce" When Cancer Began Bankrupting Me Hillary St. Pierre 2011

But the guilt of bringing sickness into the family, the knowledge that, if not for your disease, life may have gone as planned and you may have had the happily-ever-after you dreamed of begins to weigh heavily on the individual and the couple.

Hillary St. Pierre: I Considered A "Medicaid Divorce" When Cancer Began Bankrupting Me Hillary St. Pierre 2011

While some of those love stories didn't have a happily-ever-after ending, Jones and Linsey believe their hearts were in the right place.

Michael Bialas: Steel Magnolia's Heart-On: Delaney & Bonnie and... Bert and Ernie? Michael Bialas 2011

For all its cheery happily-ever-after, Ross's account reverberates with unacknowledged resentment and pain.

Inamoratas and Other Women Elizabeth Abbott 2011