Saturday, August 21, 2010

Weekend 3-way: Marital Bliss

Mistah and I are going to a wedding today.

A wedding!

It's been years -- years -- since we've been invited to a wedding. We used to go to 18 million every year, then the invites died off. Which is really too bad, because we are fun wedding guests.
Weddings are fun. They're festive and positive and optimistic and downright fabulous.

Get a load of these two -- imagine going to this wedding on June 20, 1959:

I know. Their beauty is downright embarrassing. The only thing more embarrassing than that is this:

My sisters and I call this one Di and Dodie. A lot going on in that photo . . .

Sigh.

Anyway. Weddings. There are a million things to say about weddings. But let's narrow it down to one. One-ish.

Weddings. What do you love? What do you hate? Give us an anecdote from your own. And oh, how we love photos.

Ellie:
Well, I have a lot to say about weddings, mostly that I love to go to them, and that I love to have them.

I have a million photos from my wedding to good ol' Mistah, but I'm going with this one, the Fleur-de-lis one, the marching down the aisle with a giant-grin-on-my-face-one.

What I love about weddings is the promise of them, the leap-of-faith of them, the we're in-it-together of them. I also have a giant soft spot in my heart for wedding bands, and for open bars.

Oh! And you also may notice I'm wearing my mom's dress. There are so many things I love about that. The fact that I did not have to go shopping? Not the least of them.

Jacquie:

Hey! That's MY wedding dress! Yep, I wore it too. With short sleeves, the way God and nature intended.

I haven't been to a wedding in ages either. Know why, Ellie? Because we're old. And everyone's already married.

I love the dancing, no matter how cheesy or rotten the band or dj might be, I love to get out there on the dance flo'. At my wedding, I hardly missed a tune. Even when I had to take a potty break, I'd hear the next song being played and rush through my business to get my bootie back out there. My wedding was really fun. I think it was 40 or 50 hundred years ago.

here's where I'll put a photo if I can possibly manage it before 11 am on Saturday. If not, you'll get this awkward space holder and forever wonder about the fabulousness that might have been.

Beth
Weddings? Well I’ve had a couple, lol.

I too enjoy a good wedding. They are so very, very optimistic! Divorce rates just keep going up, but does that stop anyone? Maybe, but it doesn’t stop most people. It didn’t stop me.

I love the wedding gowns, I love the tuxes. I love the grooms men all throwing shots before the ceremony. I love the flowers and the campy hors d’oeuvres, and the toasts and the ever present photographer. I love the kids dressed up and fidgeting with their fancy duds. Like Jacquie I also love the music. Mostly anyway.

I also love the variety. I mean almost all weddings share the basic tenants, a ceremony followed by some sort of celebration that typically involves food and drink. But within these broad parameters, there is so much latitude. There are so many second (and third) weddings, and far-flung destination weddings (that I’m not invited to nearly enough), and family-only weddings these days, that you never know exactly what you’re going to get.

The last wedding I attended was my own, and there were only 4 of us, but the wedding before that? 400 plus. Both were beautiful. Because in the end? It’s all about the love.

And the open bar.

3 comments:

back in Central PA said...

love the pics...and the sentiment!
sorry I missed BOTH of Beth's weddings, but I'm pretty sure I was 15 months pregnant for the first and not one of the 4 for the second :)

I agree with all the great parts and the promise of happily ever after!

I also expect a Jacquie pic so I can compare the dresses!

My mom was 5'2", 18 inch waist and DD breast...ain't no way my body OR the dress could be altered.

Mom C. said...

I love this Ellie, I feel famous!!I miss my boyfriend... love mom

Meg Butler said...

Ellie and Jacquie, you've made me feel sufficiently sorry for both of you and your wedding-less selves that should I ever get married, I'll throw you each an invite. I know, strong words in our family, but I swear I will keep my word!!

Meg