Weddings: Some Thoughts

When is the last time you have been to a wedding?  It had been a while for me and Jim until this year.  We have now been to two and we have one more coming up in the fall.  We are entering the age where we are the older guests.  The parent types, if you will.  We are closer in age to the parents of the bride or groom than to the actual bride or groom.  I figure we are getting real close to being wedding guests quite a lot.  It’s time for kids we watched grow up to get married.   

Our first wedding of the year was for my cousin, who was the flower girl in Jim and I’s wedding.  It was beautiful and so fun.  Although, we have to admit we felt just a smidge on the old side.  How could we possibly be old enough to be married long enough for our flower girl to get married?  It was special though.  I don’t think Jim or I expected to feel so nostalgic and emotional about little Becca tying the knot.  We were with family.  My side. The McWaters clan.  That’s my grandmother’s family.  Becca is my third cousin.  I think.  I mean her mom and my mom are first cousins.  (Is this a southern thing?  To have to get out the family tree?)

At any rate, WE HAD A BALL.  We are a loud bunch on a normal day, but when you add celebratory events to the mix…well.  Someone usually wets their pants.  That is how hard we laugh.  Becca’s brother is getting married in the fall so we can do it all again in a few months.  (Prayers for Vicki and Gary for all the wedding plans that have/are happening in the past year.) 

Jim and Bo and I just got home from a wedding this weekend.  Wow.  It was absolutely fantastic.  We knew maybe 10 people.  This was a wedding for a business associate that has become a friend’s son.  To be included in something that is so special, a life moment, is pretty incredible.  We were invited in to an event that is the beginning of a story.  We sent a gift.  We signed the guest book.  We toasted the happy couple. We danced until we were sweaty.  Hunter and Lauren might not remember our attendance, but we sure will.  The FOB, who I have never met, gave the most beautiful speech that made me cry.  There was so much love between the two families.  They were so kind and inclusive.  Truly, #goals. 

As I was sitting at the back of the dance floor waiting for Jim (I feel like I should mention that I do this a lot.  He is always away from the table.  Bathroom, drinks, napkin, fork, food…etc) I just sat back and watched the other wedding guests.  Easier at this wedding than the family one.  I love to see what people wear to weddings.  In my hometown, people are pretty serious about weddings.  They are almost always black tie.  A suit and tie at the very least.  Ladies usually wear longer dresses, at least to the knee area.  We are conservative.  Traditional, if you will.  But partiers.  Oh, the bar bills.  Poor parents of the brides.   

I digress.  Wedding guests outside of my hometown, though, is a different story. The dress code is that of a much wider variety.  It’s fascinating to me.  I find myself critiquing a lot of ensembles.  Not in a mean way.  I mean, I don’t mean it mean…which probably means I would hurt someone’s feelings.  I am sorry.  I’m just very opinionated about clothes.  I know you are a lovely person; I just might not like how you put your outfit together.  I am not helping myself here.  Oh well. 

Hhmmmm. 

I mean just some things are not appropriate.  If in one false move I can see your whole boob… 

Jim is just as bad as I am about this.  He said last night that he had never seen so many older women wearing low cut dresses.  He was right.  These women looked amazing.  I was very envious of the dresses they had on.  They were very tasteful.  I just don’t have the bosom that would allow that kind of dress.  It’s the one false move thing for me.  Or would require a significant amount of duct tape.  Ouch.  Not worth it.   

One young lady looked gorgeous in a baby blue strapless number that I guess was a tube dress.  She was gorgeous.  Jim pointed out that it looked leather.  She probably had to sleep in that dress.  It was so hot and sticky outside that it couldn’t have come off easy.   

Weddings, I guess, are a time to show off our best stuff.  I have said this before, sometimes you just need to look expensive.  Weddings can be like that.  I mean, I wore A LOT of jewelry that night.  I didn’t know very many people, so I just put it all on.  Jim always notices.  “Oh, you wearing j e w e l r y tonight.”  He doesn’t fool me.  I know he loves it.   

He was, of course, the cutest man there last night.  My Bo was in second place, which will upset him.  But his daddy brought his A-game.  Jim wore a white dinner jacket, tux pants with suspenders, a pink bourbon barrel bow tie (Pappy & Co), and 24/7 duck tennis shoes.  He was told by many men, young groomsmen, even, that he had the best shoes of anyone there.  He was so cute.  I never see him in suspenders.  Maybe he should wear them more often?