The Nuptial Reunion
Next week I am attending the wedding of a frat brother of my husband. He's 45, getting married for the first time- some of us are wondering if this is a sign of the Apocalypse. Actually, I am only attending the reception. It's one of those events where between the wedding and the reception are 2 hours. If I leave my teenagers alone at Maison Taffy for that long, I will return to something resembling "Animal House."
I am not really pysched about this event (I have the feeling that by 10 o'clock I will be watching 20 drunken, balding, chunky fratrats singing "Louie. Louie."- and no, I am not exaggerating). I have never been big on reunions- never has traveled to Poughkeepsie for a high school one nor been to one at college, even though I only live an hour from my alma mater. I found the people that I wanted to and keep in touch with the important ones. I don't look on the times I shared with this group as "the best years of my life." I told a friend that they are not a chapter in my life, more like a pull-out booklet in a magazine- you know, "Shell's Guide to Better Gas Mileage."
So why am I going? First, to see if the groom goes through with it. Second, not coming would be "bad form." Last, I have an assignment. I have to get a picture of "The Canadian." This is one fratboy that some of us are very curious to see how he aged.
Thinking about this event has made me think about other weddings that I have attended. Some were great fun- Lisa's, Ellen's, Kim's and my dad's wedding to my stepmother all stand out. Of course the best stories come from "The Weddings from Hell."
My WFH was when a college friend got married in Boston. Among the lowlights-
Not being told in advance that it was a cash bar- big problem for the groom's impoverished friends.
The mother of the groom disliking the bride so much that she refused to remove her coat during the reception (well, it was a nice coat)
One of the groomsmen insisting on speaking like the SNL character "Fernando" for the entire event.
And then there was the music~!
The DJ took requests, including one that a groomsman had for him and the bride- it was for Billy Preston's "Me and Mrs. Jones"-its a song about having an affair!
Then the DJ plays that wedding classic "What's Love Got to Do With It?" and the mother of the groom says loudly, "Yeah, what does love have to do with it anyway?" BTW, she was sober.
The happy couple is still married so who knows? People said I had a great wedding and....
Feel free to share your stories.
Taffy
Youtube.com recs
For the Wingnuts (sorry, I don't have the exact link, just type this in the search box)
A Tribute to John Spencer- moving song with clips and a perfect ending
Now That I Know/Josh and Donna- wonderful fan vid set to a great song by Shannon McNally-I just bought it on itunes!
posted by Kathy @ 3:10 PM
2 Comments:
At 1:57 PM,
Anonymous said…
I haven't been to very many weddings so I can easily categorize them as the Good, the Bad and the Huh?
The Good:
A Jewish friend was married in a beautiful outdoor location. Had the dance with the couple being lifted on chairs and a true chocolate wedding cake with chocolate icing. Unfortunately the marriage didn't last.
Another was my college roommate's second marriage. She grew up and lives in Napa and this wedding was at her house. It was more like a party with a guest list that had one of our tablemates commenting that he felt like an extra on the set of "Falcon Crest."
The Bad:
DH's nephew, the cop, was married in a rather redneck-like fashion. The couple was young so their friends weren't used to observing social graces like waiting to get drunk until the reception. This was also the debut of other nephew's son as the ring bearer. He was too young (~3) to understand the program and eventually had to be carried down the aisle. I recall retrieving beverages from garbage cans filled with ice and the chairs at the reception sinking into the sfot ground when you sat in them.
The Huh?
2 of DH's grad student friends were married. Carol, a born-again Christian, and John. John was dubbed "the hostage" by his fellow grad students because Carol would dictate all of their social activities. Everything was going fine, our gang was tucked in the back of the church, when suddenly a member of the "audience" jumped and gave some blessing. Ok, perhaps he is a church elder. But then there was another, and another. Our group started to stir in our seats - were we expected to participate? We began to plan our escape route through the back door, out a window, or by tunnel. Thankfully the ceremony ended and we were herded upstairs for the "reception." By the time we got up there the food was gone. 10 minutes later everything was over. We then stood in the parking lot, all dressed up and no place to go. We ended up at Old Chicago for pizza and beer.
The last wedding I attended was at a country club. Nice location except that they were married on a balconey overlooking the golf course. In between the "I do's" you could hear the "ping" of a driver on the first tee.
-Bruin
At 9:51 PM,
Anonymous said…
No bad, no ugly - here's the best of the good: My sister-in-law and her husband were married in Bermuda, at the top of a cliff overlooking the ocean, on a perfectly cloudless day in September. It was spectacular. Plus DH, his parents and I had a blast buzzing around the island on scooters (tourists are not allowed to rent cars!) - Fluffy
P.S. thanks for the kind words!
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