Pretentious

How silly the working class is to try and mimic royalty and its extravagant waste. Weddings have become the kind of parties where families have gone to great lengths to show their wealth, or to put on a show for those they need to impress. Wedding etiquette is a myriad of rules for the mother of the bride to follow so that those who do not want to be impressed and honored to be invited, can find fault. It starts with petty things like how the invitation is worded and addressed and it explodes into even more nit picking with: where people sit at the church and reception, is the bride's dress modest enough, what kind of alcohol is served, and what is the point of the favors. Trying to keep things simple gets such a critical review by some, but to me, has been a philosophy for success. The best weddings that I have been to were simple, comfortable and fun. The invitations were not engraved, the dress was an heirloom, and I don't recall the alcohol- it wasn't the focus. The best music at any family gathering is the music played by family and friends, and the best favors were the memories and the candid pictures. Now that I have two weddings to plan in a year; I want them to be lovely and enjoyable. I don't remotely hope to compete with the Royal Wedding, but I know I will see Princesses walking down the aisle. I want our guests to enjoy the event, but I know there will be eyebrows raised and muffled chatters when traditions are not followed. I found myself doing the same at the last dozen weddings, because I was taking mental notes on what will make the perfect day for our daughters. Then I remembered: It is not about me and my party planning skills, there is nothing I can do that will please my critics, and there is no such thing as a perfect event. Things go wrong no matter how well the planning was done, and things happen that are not planned. That is part of the fun. I hope the weather will be nice, the food tasty, and the music lilting. I hope the guests will be happy, the bride and groom maddly in love, and the father of the bride calm. The only thing I really can control are my own emotions- and I don't expect to do that very well.