I HAVE to attend an outdoor wedding in Alabama at 5pm in the evening while wearing cocktail attire. Oh my lord! After the wedding, the couple goes for a private dinner in the AC while the rest of us are waiting outside. The reception is outside. I am so pissed off.

I have been to plenty of weddings and I’ve never heard of the couple eating apart from the guests. Why are they doing this? If they aren’t at the wedding dinner why even stay?

Sounds like bridezilla style wedding planning. What other ridiculous shit is she pulling?

How close are you to wedding party?

Lifelong friend, immediate family member, nephew/niece - I'd go to the wedding, skip the reception, go out out to dinner, go back to the hotel, and stick my head in the hotel bar to see if anybody from the wedding you wanted to talk to was there.

short-term friend or distant family member - reply "not attending" on the RSVP

It’s a damn shame you had violent diarrhea that day and just could not attend…

So it is the daughter of a lifelong friend. I do think it is a bridezilla situation. These young folks are motivated by the pictures. Get a picture outside with old timey lights even if it means garndma succumbed to the heat.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
It’s a damn shame you had violent diarrhea that day and just could not attend…

^ This!

One of the most miserable days I ever spent was outdoors for an event on a brutally hot day wearing a suit and tie.

Go to the wedding ceremony . Make sure your friend knows you're there . Slip out quietly when the time comes . IF your friend brings it up later , tell him you were feeling bad and stuck it out as long as you could .

The last wedding (and hope it is the last) I was invited to was over the top in pointless spending. The amount of cash expended would have been an excellent down payment on a house. What a disgusting spectacle. And if the wedding party dined in comfort while I sweltered, I would immediately beat feet.

Attend the ceremony, congratulate the new couple, greet everyone you know, then depart. If anyone asks why you left early, tell them the truth that you don't do well in the heat. You're at a wedding, not in the wedding.

Actually , I have heard of the private dining thing once before . I don't get it , and I think it's chickenshit .

quote:

After the wedding, the couple goes for a private dinner in the AC while the rest of us are waiting outside leave to get a nice dinner elsewhere in the air conditioning, then return for the reception

Call me rude, but I have more respect for my wife than to put her (or me, for that matter) through bridezilla's plan. I'd probably include a book about common courtesy with the wedding gift.

Yet another reason why I hate weddings.

Daughter of a friend? Nope, unless I also had a long time friendship with the daughter as well. Not sure, but I don't think that was the case here.

I just asked my wife about this because I remember her telling me about it . She went to an outdoor wedding ,the Bridal Party went inside and ate , THEN took all of the pictures before returning . By then a lot of the guests had started to leave .

To me sounds like bridezilla and parents are trying to use the friendship to get extra booty out of the guest attending.... Personally would tell them thanks for the invite but due to location and timing of festivities that you are not available to attend. If they donot understand then they do not deserve your friendship. ................................. drill sgt.

as mentioned, do the wedding, be seen, say hello and congrats,

when the bride and groom take off for dinner, you and yours do the same,

no need to sit around and sweat , go have a nice dinner in an AC'ed place somewhere else

Dude, I got married in the Philippines, in June; wearing a suit. I feel for you! Maybe you can run out to your car periodically and run the ac

Sounds like she is a "SAP" - Southern American Princess. Likely a sorority girl and likely not too bright. Possibly an Alabama graduate with a rich daddy. "But Dadddddddy, this is what I want!"

RMD

Even good weddings kind of suck. I got married at a casino in Lake Tahoe. Great wedding. Cost a hundred bucks.

^^^^ Well put! One of my weddings was in Vegas, Baby! Had a blast and $$$ well spent.

May 18, 1979. I knocked off work at lunchtime, drove downtown to pick up my lady at her office, and we went to City Hall (Chicago) for the ceremony, attended and witnessed by a couple of friends.

Drinks afterwards at a friend's townhouse, then off to L'Escargot for dinner. That was a Friday; the restaurant burned down over the weekend, but not before they processed my American Express payment for the dinner.