Some make you dress up, some make you put on a costume. Have you ever been to a wedding that was more like a party?

Do you have any memorable wedding stories to share?

-- Anonymous, October 12, 1999

Answers

Oh man, my wedding was the best that I've been to for a long time...

First of all, the whole shebang was held in my parents' backyard with about 150 people attending or so.

We laughed through the whole ceremony because the flower girl kept waving at her dad and yelling "Hi DADDY!". The poor judge thought we were all giggling at him because his fly was down or something. I had to say my vows about 3 times before I could get to the "I do" without laughing and my poor hubby was like "Are you sure?" Nothing like keeping things light through a "serious" moment.

The reception was very loose with a big buffet, lots of beer and a dj... time to kick off our shoes and dance barefoot in the grass. It was like a big party atmosphere. We purposely told folks to wear/bring a set of comfortable clothes so that they could relax and have a good time. The kids in attendance had a blast in the pool and so did a few inebriated adults who jumped on in with their clothes on!

There was no food leftover except for a bit of cake and my hubby and I never got the chance to grab any of the wedding food before it disappeared - So our wedding night grub was Ritz crackers, cheese and summer sausage scrounged from the fridge. What a night...

I'm told folks still talk about the wedding and what a fun night it was for everyone... I would love to do it all again!

-- Anonymous, October 12, 1999

My own. Despite my brother--who was the Best Man--losing the wedding ring. We had to honeymoon with the little plastic ring from the ringbearer's pillow on her finger. We got it back when we got back. Yes, if looks could kill, my brother would have been dead when he said, "Hey, where's the ring!" Oh, and people said we did the longest kiss they had ever seen at a wedding. Seemed pretty short to me, but what do I know?--Al

-- Anonymous, October 12, 1999

I would say that my own wedding was the best ever. Friends of the family were anticipating the event for over a year. People were actually trying to "get" invited as the guest of someone who was actually invited. I think because my family is crazy, and so much fun, and I was the first to go with such a huge celebration, people just thought it was going to be THE WEDDING to attend. It was, as it turns out, the best night of my life. We chose a very traditional ceremony with a huge party type reception. By the time my husband and I arrived (twenty five minutes after the ceremony), my family and friends had dried out two kegs, sending my uncle out for more. We danced and drank and partied our married asses off.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 1999

Okay... so... the popular answer is.... MY OWN! *Grin*

It really was... We had a renaissance wedding up in the forest. Most of the wedding party camped out with us for the weekend, then on Sunday all the guests arrived (though a few of them were a bit late, cuz they were stuck behind my brother driving a fifth wheel=), but there was fencing and everything! We looked so damn cute! And even though our minister NEVER showed, we had three back-ups, so we're all legal and everything. (= It was a bit stressful, and tiring (I was in my first trimester) but fun, fun, fun! The reception was a blast too. It was just like a big ole' party. My favorite morning dj team did the music, and even though no one danced, there was a lot of laughter and flitting from group to group - lots of drinks and the basic Jolene's Party Atmosphere. I would do it all over again.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 1999

Of course you all say your own wedding. You were probably half in the bag before the day got started, in the first place.

In the second place, notice how no one has said a wedding that they attended as a guest.

Please, please, please.. weddings are more of a pain in the ass to go to than to be part of as the groom/bride.

You have to buy a gift, re-arrange your schedule, figure out hotel rooms, if you're staying or driving home drunk, or flying in and out, or making a weekend of it, and it's usually smack dab in the middle of one season ro the other (prime beach season, prime snowboard weather, fresh powder, 4-8 foot swell winds offshore, some family anniversary, and so on).

If you are getting married, this has been part of your life for the past few months to the past year, and you've been living the inconveniencess of it all.

God, I'm such a downer, ain't I?

Sure, I've had fun at weddings, even my own. But it still doesn't beat a good night out on the town.

Or the bachelor party.

-rich http://www.inferiority.com

-- Anonymous, October 12, 1999

You know, I was just THINKING about marriage. Not so much for me, since I'm 16, but wondering whether you and EEE-rac are getting married. It seems like a natural progression, like the next step after losing a loved pet AND having an obnoxious conversation about Deja Vu without resultant vase-throwing. Good for you.

I've been to about...14 or so weddings in my life. They were all pretty much boring socialite affairs, with stiffness and pomp and more "may the Lord watch over you two"'s than I can handle without having my lips hemmorhage from biting them so much. I had one good experience at a wedding when I was about 4, because they had these bowls of nonpareleils chocolate chip minty things. I ate about 300, and felt instantly sick, but still, it was probably the most memorable one I've been to.

Pamie: I'd say there's room for improvement. Quite a bit of it.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 1999

I have two favs.

My best friend, Michael's and my cousin, Priscilla's.

I was the co-best 'man' in Michael and Jen's wedding and I had a ball. I wasn't uncomfortable standing up there or anything.....of course, having a few shots with the guys beforehand didn't hurt. the reception was fun, too.....dancing, drinking, singing, drinking, eating, laughing...did I mention drinking? =)

Priscilla's was so fab because it was so she-she-foo-foo. I mean it was unbelievable. She looked beautiful and we, the bridesmaids, looked like carpet. Our dresses were taupe. TAUPE!!! I've always heard that the bride is supposed to be the one people can't take their eyes off of, but c'mon....it was a lot of fun, though.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 1999

My sister M----'s wedding was a grand party!

her husband is a social worker downtown, plays in an irish band, and is very popular and gregarious. He invited everyone he knew, I think! (this was ok, because it was a mostly potluck reception.)

They bought a bunch of couches at thrift stores and had them in one big room in the church basement, for hanging out and talking.

the party room was across the hall. The band was a Marimba band. they teach african marimba music at the University of Washington, so that kind of music is pretty popular here in Seattle. Very lively and fun, and good for freestyle dancing.

It was just a very warm, festive occasion! If I'm ever married, I hope the party is half as good.

Anita of Anita's BOD and Anita's LOL

-- Anonymous, October 12, 1999

I have to say my own, also. It was just a very special, magical time for all of us and people still mention it today. I think it's kind of neat that so many people have said that here, because it seems to be a rarity.

However, I do have to agree that going to people's weddings is a pain. I find my favourite weddings have been those of my dearest friends. If we aren't close, there just seems to be something missing....

-- Anonymous, October 12, 1999

The best weddings to go to are the ones where the bride and groom are so in love that you can actually SEE the happy waves coming off of them. I've hit "that age" where I cough and another friend is engaged, so I've been to more than my fair share. Seriously, I think getting married is trendy right now. Anyway, I'm straying from my topic.

I've been to two phenomenal weddings. Brett and Tami, and Kevin and Laura. One was humongous and held in downtown Denver, the other had maybe 50 people and was held in Milan (pronounced MY-luhn - gotta love Missouri), MO. Both were incredible simply because of the love. I know I sound like I ought to be holding a lighter in the air and swaying, but it's the truth. I'm a Hallmark card waiting to happen, I know.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 1999

Well, I'm going against the grain here. I like other people's weddings. I mean, there's lots of free food, usually an open bar, and you get to either hang out with old friends or meet the relatives of newer ones.

Weldon and Martinique had a fun reception, even though my dates were Marc and David (2 other Monks) who were dressed in shorts and the only 2 shirts they own (Marc's infamous chicken shirt, and Dave's "Chaos Comedy" jersey). We sampled a good bit of wine and then decided to have our own bachelor party since we had heard how fun Weldon's was.

My favorite wedding, though, was that of my friend from college, Ann. When a group of friends came to pick me up in my hometown at the bar where I worked, I informed them that I was going to start drinking right then and wouldn't stop until we left the wedding. I wasn't kidding. We left on an all night drive (I was only a passenger) and at 7am at a stop for gas, I came back to the car with a 12-pack. Even right before the wedding, the groom (still don't remember his name) gave me a bottle of Jagermeister to finish off. Ann told me my job was to get drunk at the reception and fall down- which I did. The funny thing was, I wasn't the annoying drunk guy. Ann's relatives all loved me. The only problem came when they asked me to teach everyone how to do the macarena- knowing my hatred for that musical abomination. Reluctantly I did, but made everyone swear (in the classic, "repeat after me" style) to never do the dance in a bar and to walk out of any bar that played it.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 1999

I hope that in 3 weeks I will be able to say that my own wedding was the best I've ever been to.
But for now, it is my friends Mark and Elizabeth's wedding. The wedding was just full of their personality. Elizabeth wore a ring of daisies on her head and the bridesmaids wore blue checked dresses with white tennis shoes and daisy bouquets. Elizabeth walked down to the song from The Princess Bride, and they wrote their own(very beautiful and touching)vows. Mark wore his hair the same as he always wears it, spiked and white-blond.
I always like weddings that don't seem like they were bought in a can at a bridal shop.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 1999

I hate to just jump on the bandwagon, but my wedding rocked. 38 people in total (included Tristan and me), beautiful ceremony, very chilled out priest, all our oldest and dearest friends and not a single 'hanger-on', fantastic food, brilliant speeches.

The only thing that annoys me about it is that I can't go back and have that day again.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 1999

I liked my wedding but it wasn't "cool" or "unusual", just normal and nice. The most fun wedding I've been to was my friends Lisa and Ed. I only knew Lisa (we worked together), had never met her husband or anyone else there. I drove from Va to Pa and got to the hotel where it was being held a little early. I sat out in the car until about 15 minutes before the "official start time". When I went inside the ballroom was packed with people drinking and eating even though the ceremony hadn't happened yet. I stood off to the side with a glass of punch and just watched everyone. Out of the blue this guy in a tux walks up to me and says "You must be Sarah! Lisa (the bride) told me to come find you." It was Ed the groom...on their wedding day they were sitting in their suite having pre-wedding champaign and they thought of ME! She sent him down to find me and hook me up with his brother and his brother's fiance so that I would have someone to talk to! Very Nice...but I digress. Anyway...all the guests were drinking downstairs and the wedding party was drinking upstairs. About a half hour AFTER the ceremony was supposed to start Ed and Lisa came downstairs. They had a judge marry them, but instead of the judge facing the crowd and the couple facing the wall they stood the other way...they faced the crowd. And when the judge was going on about marriage not being something to take lightly, but something to be done "Soberly"...Ed looks all around the room and says "Soberly?" We ALL cracked up! It was THE most relaxed, fun, party, wedding I have ever been too. That was about 12 years ago and the two of them are Still funniest, nicest people I know.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 1999

Oh, of course our wedding was the best. I mean, tons of friends and family, everyone dancing and laughing and two beautiful speeches by my best friend and Bill's brother. It went by so fast. The whole day was a whirlwind. I, like Jackie, am only annoyed that I can't go back and do it again. It was so much fun.

Our friends Chris and Jessy just got married about four weeks ago. That was also a good time. We were standing up in the wedding so we were close to the action, and yes, there were a few times where I had to calm the bride down before she had a fit. But for the most part, a good time was had by all. The guys who danced to "YMCA" at our wedding did a more complex dance routine to it this time. It included dancing on chairs and some gymnasticsquite impressive. It was fun to be a spectator because I got to dance my ass off with my hubby and we didn't have to go around the room kissing and greeting people we didn't really know.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 1999

I hate weddings. I'm sorry, but I really do. When I go to them, it's either because it's important to the people getting married that I be there, or because I want to see old friends, or because there's going to be free champagne. But I've never gotten misty-eyed over the romanticism of it all, I've never dreamed about my own wedding, and I'm always horrified at the expense. I would find it utterly depressing to spend a fortune on a beautiful dress that I could only wear once.

If Jeremy and I ever get married, it will definitely be in Vegas, and we will invite no one. Count on it.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 1999

Well, although I have really enjoyed attending other weddings, I have to say the best one was when Nancy and I got married.

We had two weddings. First we got married in a simple civil ceremony in judge's chambers followed by lunch at an outdoor cafe overlooking a river with four friends. The next weekend, having taken care of the legal stuff, we had our "real" wedding, one we designed ourselves.

The wedding was held in Nancy's parents' backyard. We wrote the ceremony ourselves and performed it ourselves (where we pronounced ourselves as married) with assistance from two friends ("best man" and "maid of honor") who helped us read the various poems we had gathered and two other friends (a brother-in-law and a friend) who provided music. Then it was party time! There was lots of food and various adult beverages, including a beer keg, a small dance band playing for dancing on the patio. It was a wonderful outdoor party with friends and family (including my son who has just turned 31 but who was ten going on eleven at the time) on a beautiful sunny June day. The party was still going on when we, reluctantly, had to leave to catch our flight to England -- where we spent eleven days seeing the historic sights and sites... art museums, Tower of London, side trip to Stonehenge, Wimbledon to watch tennis, etc., etc.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 1999

My wedding was not the best one I've been to. By a long shot. (Of course, I'm divorced. This might be part of why I think that.)

Joe and Dana's wedding (two friends of mine from the SCA) was. Most of our circle of friends was in the wedding party, and those of us who weren't, were the musicians. They held it at a YWCA camp on the shore of Lake Huron (one of the Great Lakes, for you non-Michiganders) in the middle of November. We all drove up for the rehearsal Friday night, and were just all very silly. The cabins, fortunately, were heated and had plenty of beds, so we all crashed comfortably that night.

The wedding and the reception were in the same building, the main lodge of the camp. It was rustic but beautiful, with lots of wood and open rafters. The wedding had a medieval theme to it, so the decorations, the bridal party and most of the guests were all dolled up appropriately. Everyone looked wonderful.

The wedding was early in the afternoon, and went smoothly. I got lots of compliments on the solo I sang, which was also nice. After the wedding, there were tons and tons of fantastic food (most of which the bride and groom had cooked themselves).

And after everyone had eaten themselves silly, the tables were cleared away and we danced until the wee hours of the morning. Dances ranged from a Scottish reel to an Italian Renaissance piece, to (at one point) thrashing around to Nine Inch Nails. (Note: you haven't lived until you've seen someone in a hoop skirt getting down to "Head Like a Hole".) At some point during the dancing, it started to snow outside, big fluffy snowflakes. I went outside on this enormous porch that faced the lake and watched the snow fall on the sand.

After the 'official' reception ended, everyone went back to their cabins, and spent most of the rest of the night eating leftover reception food, drinking and talking. I think I did Tarot readings for most of the night. It was all warm and cozy and relaxed after a long day of partying.

All in all, probably still one of the best weekends I've ever had.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 1999

Okay, I'll jump on this bandwagon. I just got married 2 months ago, and the ceremony was awesome.

We were married in Cozumel, Mexico on the end of a long pier at sunset. I had taken my wedding dress (by the way, it's a straight off-white dress that I can have hemmed above the knee and wear for the holidays) and veil on the airplane, and my husband wore a light taupe suit. I had a gorgeous, fragrant bouquet of tropical flowers, and hubby had a matching boutonniere.

There was an archway at the end of the pier decorated with red hibiscus. We stood in the archway with the sun setting on the ocean behind us. The ceremony was in Spanish (had to be) and was translated to English. There was also lots of official paper signing and thumbprinting by us and our 4 witnesses.

After the ceremony, we had dinner served at the end of the pier, and a 3 piece mariachi band played tropical/mexican music. The weather was perfect, it was like out of a storybook.

Since it was just us there, no family or friends, we had a huge blowout party a few weeks ago where everyone came and celebrated and got terribly drunk. We had the party in the clubhouse at our apartment complex. My houseguest poured wine on my former boss's head. Another friend was too drunk to drive home. Later I found out there was sexual activity going on in the computer room. GEEZ! We decided never to have another party.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 1999

I've only been to two weddings besides my own, and one was at City Hall. So yes, I pick mine as the best I've been to as well.

We asked the (young, hip) reverend who married us to speak about marriage at one point in the ceremony. We had no idea what he would say, but we knew it would be good. Well, he wound up lacing his little talk with references from the show "Mystery Science Theater 3000," and all of our friends (and us!) were cracking up! Sure, most of our family members must have thought we had all gone insane, but it was worth it. My husband and I met because of the show, so it was completely appropriate and very, very touching amidst the hilarity.

Oh, and then I wanted to have the best music ever at the reception, so I gave the DJ a massive list of everything she was allowed (and not allowed) to play and I wound up dancing practically nonstop for the whole reception. It was GREAT.

-- Anonymous, October 17, 1999

I have two favorite weddings, and so... Ok, I'm jumping the bandwagon.. I think mine was the best.... but I have to agree that my friends Jen and Wade are and incredibly close tie to mine!!!!

Mine was great because my hubby and I wanted it to be a relaxed fun affair for everyone the old and the young. We had a real mix of people from our "hick" family members to our high school, college and work friends, and many of our friends parents as well.

We actually had a rather inexpensive wedding in comparison to many of my friends... and still we managed to have an open bar... and the key here was... we had the best bartender!!!

I swear I think I drank half a sip from each of maybe 10 drinks that night.. but my friends all say that the drinks were strong, and constantly coming... In addition, many of our friends were in hysterics over the condition of their parents after a few of their own strong beverages!

We had a great dj, and the dancing was fantastic.. the dance floor was crowded the whole night. One of the big things for me, was that we'd put a lot of personal touches into the wedding, and as it turned out... almost everyone noticed these things... We customized our vows to include information about our lifestyles... we're really into running, and a significant portion of our vows related to running... we also did some things that were money savers in the end, and added a nice personal touch to the ceremony or reception... like our guest book.. who ever reads that thing anyway... all the ones I saw were yucky! So I put together a scrap book, and had the "photo edges" glued in ahead of time... and we had the DJ announce that there was a polaroid camera hanging around, get your photo taken and put it in the scrap book and leave a note for Michelle and John"... it's so wonderful to go back now and read through peoples comments, and see a face to associate with the name!!!

The other weddign that is really quite close to a tie was quite similar to mine...

I introduced my friend Jen to my husband's friend Wade, and 11 months later they got engaged, and then got married (even before me and my hubby did!)... they had such a fun wedding... Jen and Wade are from Upstate NY, and are really into making their own wine... they served the first batch of wine they ever made together during the wedding... and man was I TOASTED... It went down like water... and when I finally stood up... wow!!!! like falling off a wall! I think it was because I was soo looped that night.. i just had a blast... danced my butt off... and had a great time! My now In-laws were there.. and they said to my husband... "I think michelle's had a bit too much to drink, do you think she's ok?".. and he, knowing I'd had at least a whole bottle by myself told his parents that it doesn't take me much since I'm such a light weight! I danced with my Father In Law, and we had a great time.. they took tons of photos of the silly drunken fiance with her almost father in law!

-- Anonymous, October 18, 1999

I'm with Glitterbeam here -- I'm getting married very soon (33 days and counting!) and I'm hoping it will be nice. It's going to be very small, and relatively informal, since we're paying for it ourselves and haven't much money. I've never been a big fan of great big huge formal weddings with 300 guests and 20 people in the wedding party and all that -- everyone I know who has had a ceremony like that hated it, the familes are all fighting, the bride and groom are too stressed out to be happy...and the times I've been a guest at those kinds of weddings, I haven't even been able to get near the bride or groom, much less wish them well. Bleah. So we're trying to avoid all that and just have fun. It still has its stressful moments though.

-- Anonymous, October 18, 1999

Michelle, we did that too with our guest book, except instead of the photo corners and Polaroid, we just had 'em sign, and I added the photos from the disposable cameras we put on all of the tables. Lots of great candid photos, and lots of wonderful comments from all of the guests. My friend was in charge of the book, and she personally made sure everyone signed it (except herself -- she had to sign when we got back from our honeymoon!). Later, we added honeymoon photos, our airline tickets, a copy of our invitation, stuff like that.

-- Anonymous, October 18, 1999