duck-shaped pain

04 October 2001
A Day Without Mutton Sleeves

One of the highlights of this weekend (actually, it was the only highlight, since Sunday was spent napping and being unable to find aluminum foil at Sam's Club) was going to my cousin J.'s wedding on Saturday.

Now, I have to let you know that I don't normally like weddings. Unlike most other people, I haven't been to that many, and the few that I have been to were mostly depressing.

I went to one where one of my college newspaper buddies was marrying a professor at the same college who was much older than she was. The church was split in two, with students on one side and professors on the other, all looking askance at each other while the vows were being said.

The other was a friend of mine years ago, who got married the day after he graduated from high school. The wedding was held in an old warehouse-turned-church, and the entire place had a pall over it from all the people in attendance who thought that the entire wedding was a Very Bad Idea. [1] It had a western theme: the bridesmaids' dresses were made out of this orangey-brown calico fabric, and the groomsmen had matching vests, and I think there was a trough up on the stage, but I really don't remember. Because the bride and groom were so young, no alcohol was served at the reception. Which is perfectly fine, serve what you like. There is a wide possible range of non-alcoholic beverages, which is why it is puzzling that the particular non-alcoholic beverage they ended up serving was that nasty orange punch they serve at McDonalds. No attempt to disguise it whatsoever -- they had the orange coolers with Ronald on them and everything, all set up in a row. And to eat? Mixed nuts. And they kept everyone waiting for two hours -- during which time people actually fought other people over the punch and nuts -- while they took pictures. Ghastly.

I enjoy telling these stories, but I am even more enjoyed to report that there will be no such stories about this wedding. Everything went well and was pleasant and tasteful and people got along.

Highlights:

  • The event was held in the bride's parents' backyard instead of some impersonal rent-a-hall somewhere, so it was nice and informal.

  • The ceremony itself was short and to the point. The officiant covered all the appropriate bases and didn't launch off into unrelated tangents. I've heard horror stories about preachers who talk at lengths about their own personal marriage-related bugaboos before actually getting to what people are here to witness, but none of that was to be found. Thankfully.

  • N., the bride, chose a dress that was very simple and elegant -- a strapless sheath with a row of pearls around the top of the bodice. I'm not a big wedding dress fan, but I liked this one very much. There were no poofy sleeves or acres of lace, and it didn't make the wearer look like a big funnel cake, like many dresses do.

  • The perfect meal solution: a Mexican food buffet. This was an ideal choice for dinner in many ways. 1. Everyone (at least where I live) likes Mexican food, with buffets running a close second. 2. People were allowed to make the burrito or taco of their dreams -- eat-it-and-shut-up desiccated chicken breast disaster here. 3. People could eat as much as they wanted -- always a plus. 4. Nachos were served.

  • People drank a lot, and the more drinking there was, the more dancing there was. I got to see people I didn't think ever danced in their life go out on the floor and do the generic white person dance. I did the generic white person dance, too. I did what the alcohol ordered me to do.

  • My cousin J. is an excellent guy, and he and N. (who is also excellent) have been dating forever. I can't think of two good people who deserve each other more, and I hope they are happy together for a very long time.


[1] Then again, they're still together, so what do we know.

previous | next



the past + the future


also, see here.

newest
older
random entry
about me
links
guestbook
email
host
wishlist


www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from hypothetical wren. Make you own badge here.