June is now upon us, and we all know what that means...WEDDING SEASON IS HERE!!! Yes, friends, it is another season of frills, thrills, cake, white people dancing, and awkward family get togethers! Of course, for some people the season never truly ended; but for the sake of the normal people reading this, I will declare the next two months to be the prime time of marriage.
Like last summer, I will update this blog once a week, continuing to share my memories, advice, and observations of that timeless, worldwide tradition of the wedding.
Just to remind my readers, I do not "name names" unless I am mentioning something I love. I did not create this blog to be a Joan Rivers commentary on your wedding day, or to tell you how you messed up. I only share advice to help, not to scold. What I want more than anything is for your wedding day to be everything you have always dreamt it would be, and to maybe pass along ideas that you have not thought of yet. If anything, I hope this blog is entertaining and encouraging.
As I considered what the first post of the season would be, I had to go through my thoughts and memories to determine why I write about weddings. The reason I write about weddings is because I attend so many, and then I had to ask WHY I attend so many. I do not have to accept every wedding invitation that comes my way, and I know plenty of people who choose to limit their wedding attendance for one reason or another. However, I never turn down a wedding invitation unless it conflicts with another event (usually, another wedding). So that left me to meditate over my decisions concerning weddings, and I think the answer is very simple, I LOVE THEM!
One may ask, "Sheri, why on Earth do you love weddings?! You, as an ever-single twenty-something, should realize how obnoxious and boring they are!" I would consider this a fair question. After all, weddings have a certain stigma where single people are concerned, and ceremonies can be a little dull. However, there are so many amazing ideas and memories attached to weddings, and I think I have held on to all of them throughout the years. In answer to these enquiries, I would like to explain that I think it has much to do with my personality, and those who know me will read the rest of this post and nod in agreement. For the rest of you, I would like to share the top three reasons why I love weddings. (These explanations have no particular order by rank, so just get hierarchy out of your minds.)
Reason #1—I'm a fairy tale girl.
Ever since I was a little girl, fairy tales have been a big part of my life; and for a girl with more imagination than sense, weddings have always had a magical glow about them. Think back to when you were a child, didn't holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and even New Years have some sort of magical expectation about them? Every Halloween, (though I have never truly believed in ghosts and myths) I always expected something magical to happen like in the shows on television. I think everyone has felt the same way about Christmas at one point in their lives, like it's a time of miracles coming true. I don't think I've ever lost that feeling. I still get a whimsical feeling every Halloween and Christmas, and every wedding I attend brings about the same magical feeling that something great could happen. If any of you have been readers for a while, you will have read the post about my top favorite weddings; if not, go back and find it. Each wedding in the list had some sort of magical or romantic event occur (by romantic, I mean fantastical, not love story-like).
So when I go to a wedding, I'm getting to see a fairy-tale come true. When couples are dancing at the reception, I'm getting to see magic flow around the room; for some of the couples, the magic has been flowing for decades. Of course, there's alway that hope of getting asked to dance myself, but even if that doesn't happen, it doesn't mean the magic isn't happening. In fact, though I would like to join them, it is actually cool to know that as the magic show is going on, I get the best seat in the house.
Reason #2—I'm a social butterfly.
It will come as no surprise to anyone that I love social gatherings. As a well-known extrovert, I not only enjoy being around people, but in order to fully function, I MUST be around people. This is another reason I love weddings, there is always an opportunity to be around people and make new friends. Even if I'm at a wedding at which I only know one person, I love to walk around and get acquainted with the other guests. (This is how I know the movie THE WEDDING CRASHERS is realistic; if you have enough charisma, you can take over any room.) Of course, nothing brings people together quite like weddings: there's food, entertainment, mutual friends, and plenty of topics to discuss as a wedding can tie into any conversation. I guess one could say that I thrive at weddings. The environment is usually very friendly and adds fuel to my social fire.
Reason #3—I want to serve.
I often tell my friends that they may be a lot of things, but unloved is not one of them, and I hope to prove that to them. As a friend, one of my constant goals is to make sure everyone I'm around knows I love them, not just by what I say but how I serve them. What better way to serve people and show them they're loved than on their wedding day? Though I have only been a bridesmaid two and a half times, (I'm a bridesmaid at a wedding I'm attending on Saturday) I have always made it my goal to assist and encourage the brides and grooms of each wedding I attend.
I remind them that this is THEIR day, do what I can to make sure their wedding is less stressful, and make sure they know that they deserve the happiness the day represents. Before you start assuming I'm a control freak that goes into a wedding and worms her way into a position to manipulate the event, I should point out that there are ways to do these things as someone who is just sitting in a pew. In a previous post, I wrote about being a good audience. Being attentive, smiling, and taking part instead of complaining actually goes a long way and can be a great encouragement to the couple of the hour. Of course, you can do all of these things at the reception when talking to them, respecting their time and energy, and (once again) NOT COMPLAINING. Tell them how great it was, and that you hope it was everything they've ever wanted. Reassurance is always good at weddings and lifts a spirit more than anything else.
From these three reasons, I think you can understand how weddings match my personality. I may be a realist, but I also have a foundation built on imagination and fairy tales; I love social events and meeting new people; and I see weddings as an amazing way to minister to the people I love. That, my dear friends, is why I love weddings. Do I have "off days" when it comes to weddings? Of course. Do I have days where I would rather be doing something else? Definitely. But there's a selflessness to attending weddings. I have never met a single person who said, "I wish that person had chosen to skip my wedding." Even if you've only met the couple a few times, if you get invited, you should go! If we can remember that just by attending a wedding, we can bring happiness to people on one of the most important days of their lives, then maybe we would take a different view of weddings in general.
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