This weekend is the first of 4 weddings we will be attending between now and the week after Labor Day. Looking forward to a fun summer - tho it DOES kinda dictate our vacation schedule/budget! :smack:
All 4 are my nieces and nephews - kids of my 3 sisters. Among the 4 of us, we had 14 kids in a relatively few years (I think they range in age from approx 25-37, and 12 of them are between 27-33). For a while, it seemed someone was graduating from somewhere every year. Now, it seems to be weddings.
My sisters and their hubbies will be at all 4, so it will be fun to get together for 4 big party weekends. Whatever I might say negatively about any of my sisters - they know how to throw a good party!
The 14 nieces and nephews are spread across the country. I think 15 or so of them (including SOs) showed up for my kid’s wedding last Nov. So it will be fun to see the changing cast of whichever of them make it to each wedding.
2 are in the Chicago area - where I live. One is in St. Paul Minn, and another is in Austin Texas.
Our son’s (died 5 years ago) fiance is getting married. She and our son had 2 kids together. So this wedding will be bittersweet. I’m happy that she found an amazing guy who loves our grandkids, but so sad at the same time.
Dear Jebus, no. That’s one of the benefits of being of an age where practically everyone you know is either already married or isn’t likely to get married.
Although, I do have a co-worker who is getting married early enough in September that it technically counts as summer. Not planning to go at this point, as it’s my weekend to work.
Nope. Everyone I know who was ever going to get married already is, and of those who were going to have kids has already gone a couple of rounds of that, too.
My niece is getting married next month. She’s the most spoiled, entitled brat I’ve ever met. She’s expecting this massive, huge fairy tale wedding but most of the basics – like her cake and dress – haven’t been finalized yet. Its 5 weeks away and invitations haven’t been sent out yet. She waited too long to reserve a venue so they had to settle for the “ballroom” at a local casino. Laff.
All of this is because she doesn’t understand that other people have lives and cant be at her beck and call 24/7. If something can’t happen the way she wants it on her schedule then everyone else is in the wrong and deliberately trying to sabotage her. So, for instance, if the baker isn’t available for a consult at 9pm on a Tuesday night or the tailor / seamstress has only one day available for a consut but that day happens to be the day niece decides to go on a last-minute day trip to the coast, then those people are total assholes who are just trying to make her life hell for their own jollies. My wife foolishly agreed to take pictures so the niece promptly supplied her with a list of about 14,000 different moments she wants captured on film (“Wedding party when they see me in my dress for the first time.” “Dad when he sees me in my dress for the first time.” “Fiance when he sees me in my dress for the first time.” “No less than ten shots of me getting my hair done.” “No less than five shots each of maid of honor and each bridesmaid getting her hair done.” You get the idea. Gag me).
She wanted to take engagement photos at my parent’s property. They live out in the county on a long stretch of the Umpqua river and it really is a beautiful place. But my mom is going through chemo right now and she cant really handle guests at the house so my wife and I nixed that idea. So now I’m Satan himself, apparently.
Her fiance is actually a pretty decent guy. I feel sorry for him but they’ve been together for a year and a half so hopefully he knows what he’s getting into.
It’ll either be a total shit show or it’ll actually go smoother than everyone is expecting it to. My money is clearly on the former.
Both my wife and I have to take a day off from work to go to it, which I’m not happy about either. But oh well.
One thing my wife and I - and my sisters, have observed, is that expectations have changed since we all got married 30-40 years ago. Back in the 70s-80s, there seemed to be “rulebooks” covering everything from hw the invites were to be worded, to how long you had to send thank you notes. (Yes, I realize many people chose their own path back then as well.) Now, things seem to be much more up for grabs.
At times it can cause a little dysjunction. Like if a bride asks a parent for help with a shower or something, the parents have realized that they were thinking of how things were done 30 years ago, as opposed to how they are done now. Hell - I LOVE being reminded that I am increasingly obsolete!
Only one wedding this summer: the daughter of a longtime friend (and fellow gamer). His daughter, and her fiance, are gamers, as well, so I imagine there’ll be a fair amount of nerdism at the reception. The wedding is local, so no travel involved.
Some friends of mine have two kids, both of whom are getting married next month (and only a couple of weeks apart) – their daughter is getting married here in suburban Chicago, but then their son is getting married in the Twin Cities (where his fiancee grew up); they have a seriously busy June. :eek:
I sure hope not. My son got married a few months back and my daughter hasn’t yet set a date. My nephews are all either married already or seriously opposed to the concept. When I threw out all my suits and ties it made a dent in my gf’s interest in attending any weddings with me, so there’s that.
Unless I’m the officiant or the father of the bride/groom, I’d rather do something/anything else.
Thanks. Second time round for both of us (her in 1994, me in 2001), and neither of us are willing to satisfy anyone but ourselves this time. We’re paying for everything, and doing it our way. Luckily we seem to have either wanted exactly the same thing, or have been willing to compromise.
The biggest compromise was the honeymoon. I don’t like beaches or high temperatures, she doesn’t like hiking in the wilderness.
We settled on a cruise up to Norway to see the Northern Lights (hopefully).
From Southampton.
Up through the North Sea.
In November.
:smack:
Should be interesting.
Attending a wedding in early August, a cousin of my fiancee. On a farm at the edge of metropolitan Chicago, where we live. But we’re staying in a hotel near the venue, as much for the pre-wedding festivities (her family golfs, a lot!) as to not have to drive home after the reception.
My own wedding will be an early summer wedding (last Sunday in June), with the ceremony on the first tee of a golf course, but next year.
None this summer, although two friends are getting married (to each other) it’ll just be a private small ceremony.
My big wedding summer topped out at 3. Between wedding 1 and 2 I got punched in the chin while sparring bare-handed and ended up with a silver-dollar-sized purple bruise. I did an excellent cover-up job!
Around the time my sister was getting married, some years back, a friend of mine was trying to get me to take up cycling, after not riding since I was in school. I was walking my sister down the aisle, and she told me that if I broke a leg cycling before the wedding (afterwards being my own business), she would break the other.
A few days before my sister got married 25-ish years ago, one of the groomsmen decided to have elective surgery on his nose. He’s quite the sight in the photos with the big white bandage in the middle of his face. I’m pretty sure that friendship fizzled shortly thereafter.
Which is a hijack to my own thread. What’cha gonna do?
And as I think back, I may have gone to the wedding of a friend’s step-son because she didn’t want to have to deal with her husband’s ex without moral support. I honestly don’t recall anything else about it.
