When I was a Yoot, weddings were held between two people who were currently living with their respective parents, and just starting out on their adult lives. The wedding would be costly, but not so costly that the parents of the bride (who were obliged to pay the bulk of it) would have to go into debt. It would be held at a convenient venue, close to the vast majority of people who would be attending.
The Bride and Groom were typically penniless. Maybe the Groom owned a car, that's it.
Friends of the Bride (often the bridesmaids) would hold a "wedding shower" for the Bride, which was an informal party at which small gifts were given...the sort of things that someone starting a new household would need, like towels, flatware, sheets and pillowcases, even cleaning supplies. Nothing big. It was unthinkable that the Bride's mother would hold the wedding shower; it was supposed to be a spontaneous event held by close friends, with little fanfare.
I will shortly be attending a wedding shower (men and women invited), held at a country club by the parents of the Bride. The Bride and Groom are both college grads in their 30's and well-established in their careers; neither has any college loans to pay off. They have been living together for a couple years, including overseas vacations, and a nice suburban, highly mortgaged home. The Bachelor and Bachelorette parties will be held in Cancun.
They live a thousand miles from either family and have chosen to get married THERE, because it's more convenient for THEM. Everyone else will have to fly to the wedding location, rent cars and hotel rooms, and of course give substantial cash gifts.
Neither Bride nor Groom has been inside a church (other than funerals and friends' weddings) for years, but of course their wedding will be held in an opulent church, in front of a prominent minister.
This is bullshit. If ever there were an instance where a couple should just run down to the County Courthouse, get married, and send out announcements of what they have done, this is it. But we live in the age of Entitlement. Who could deny the darlings their day in the limelight?
The Bride and Groom were typically penniless. Maybe the Groom owned a car, that's it.
Friends of the Bride (often the bridesmaids) would hold a "wedding shower" for the Bride, which was an informal party at which small gifts were given...the sort of things that someone starting a new household would need, like towels, flatware, sheets and pillowcases, even cleaning supplies. Nothing big. It was unthinkable that the Bride's mother would hold the wedding shower; it was supposed to be a spontaneous event held by close friends, with little fanfare.
I will shortly be attending a wedding shower (men and women invited), held at a country club by the parents of the Bride. The Bride and Groom are both college grads in their 30's and well-established in their careers; neither has any college loans to pay off. They have been living together for a couple years, including overseas vacations, and a nice suburban, highly mortgaged home. The Bachelor and Bachelorette parties will be held in Cancun.
They live a thousand miles from either family and have chosen to get married THERE, because it's more convenient for THEM. Everyone else will have to fly to the wedding location, rent cars and hotel rooms, and of course give substantial cash gifts.
Neither Bride nor Groom has been inside a church (other than funerals and friends' weddings) for years, but of course their wedding will be held in an opulent church, in front of a prominent minister.
This is bullshit. If ever there were an instance where a couple should just run down to the County Courthouse, get married, and send out announcements of what they have done, this is it. But we live in the age of Entitlement. Who could deny the darlings their day in the limelight?
