LOL - ok, so if they wanted a "formal" wedding all along, why elope too? And based on what you described, what dictionary do they use to define the word "formal"???

A friend of mine needed to get married quick, fast, and in a hurry to have health care benefits after college. She and her boy were already planning to get married, but couldn't wait the x amount of months to plan the whole shebang. They still wanted to celebrate w/ their families and friends, but needed to have the legal piece of paper to get the benefits and it couldn't wait.

My parents married on the way to an April fraternity formal in lovely Seguin, TX in 1963. They kept it "secret", and planned a big wedding - until Mom became preggers with me in August - kinda scotched the winter wedding. (!!!)

Thought I'd bump this for more awful wedding stories. The only one I've heard about since then would be one my daughter went to in which a large warehouse was beautifully decorated to look like a winter scene. Then the bride comes down the aisle *dressed like the White Witch from Narnia*. My daughter's teenaged brother-in-law, who has Down Syndrome, made some loud and very audible comment about it and so did his dad in trying to shut him up and their whole family was leaning over in the pew laughing hysterically and silently. As I recall, the women said that their tears of laughter destroyed their makeup.

I'm going to a wedding reception tonight, but I doubt I'll have anything to report here! (Just the reception because it's a Mormon wedding and non-LDS people can't go to the ceremony).

Exactly one year ago we were at a destination wedding. Our dear friends son was getting married...to a girl who has the family from hell.

To wit: The shower...mom and aunt did show up. Never said thank you or spoke to any of us. The bride, formerly a vegetarian...now a vegan...dictated that everyone had to be vegan too. Lots of soy...I had breast cancer. I can't eat soy. No problem...went home and had lunch. It was a very expensive lunch.

Guest list: Bride: 220...Groom: 58. People that is. The father and mother of the groom weren't announced, allowed to toast the couple, nor were they thanked by their son. The bride and groom never came over to "his" side to say hello and thank you for coming. Her parents didn't greet us. I actually went up to the MOB to say thank you, repeated it twice...she turned around and walked away.

Best food: mashed potato bar...with soy cheese......The bar: the eco friendly couple who had cork kippas, had two bartenders (for almost 300 people), and they used...plastic glasses.

MOB ordered food for rehearsal dinner which groom's parents paid for....ordered enough food for 40...100 showed up...all their family who were local. We ordered Papa John's at the hotel. *Our friends are not cheap. The object was to humiliate them.

The best part? The thank you note: A post card with the happy couple holding a sign that read Thanks!

Stories like this remind me that I am so lucky to be getting the in-laws I am!

Same here.

The couple in question has had two children. The first was a girl, and DH and I found out about her only through the grapevine. The second, though, was a BOY. They emailed everyone they knew - "Come to the bris! Come to the bris!" It was dead obvious that they felt the birth of a BOY was something worth celebrating, while the birth of a girl was almost something to be mourned.

I had half a mind to respond to their email asking if they were planning on ordering enough food.

Needless to say, we did not go.

:-/

Can I assume that these are not people who would have a bat mitzvah for their daughter when that particular age comes around?

The worst wedding I've ever attended was a close family member's.

I found out about it the night before.

I arrived at the location-the pastor's office in an office plaza.

There were pictures of the past with MC Hammer among others all over his office. The pastor was wearing nicer clothes than the groom and the groom's brother (the best man). However, while he was dressed nicer, it still wasn't appropriate. He could have at least toned it down by taking of the diamond pinky rings! His wife was there running the show, but I don't remember was she had on so it had to have been normal.

The best man is also a close family member of mine, so it'll suffice to say he's very tall and his pants weren't quite long enough.

The bridesmaid (who I'm not related to) was wearing a lavender gown that was apparently from another wedding she'd been in some time back so it didn't quite fit. She had on clear lucite stripper platform shoes (I guess nothing else matched that lavender)! The bride (who I'm not related to) was wearing a backless ( :eek: ) white dress that was long in the back and short in the front. (Think Marilyn Monroe over the subway grate). It would've been great if we were on the beach or for a romantic date, but whatever.

My boyfriend at the time was the best dressed man there. A suit and tie, while no one else bothered. I think the groom was dressed similarly though, so he was at least okay.

The reception was in another family member's backyard which actually wasn't bad cos we have parties there all the time. The next-door-neighbor let them use his Bentley for the affair and gave them an expensive bottle of champagne.

They are no longer married, but considering that the bride was younger than me, that's not a bad thing. My family member has moved on to bigger and better things, although I don't think he'll ever get over losing custody of the dog.

I'd be surprised if they did.

Poor girl. :(

(I know not all Jewish traditions celebrate bat mitzvahs, I just hate to see a kid treated that way.)

Even some Orthodox synagogues permit Bat Mitzvahs now!....ok the girl can't touch the torah...but there is some leeway.

That poor child.......