Wedding Planning: A Family Event

I have been talking about this for several months now (read: since last September. Amy reminded me that I had spoken to her about it when I visited her in Columbia), so although many know about the horrors that are wedding planning for my sister, it well deserves it’s own post.

First of all, I think wedding planning in itself is ridiculous. $20,000 on the low end for a single day of entertaining people? Being in debt to entertain others and impress them doesn’t sound like the best way to start off your new life together as one. That is beside the point though; weddings are supposed to be an opportunity to celebrate with family and friends a union that should last a lifetime, something very worth celebration. Thusly, if you’re going to bring them all out to celebrate, a little planning is not too much to ask for. Unless you’re asking my sister.

My sister has never been the most responsible person. I’m not sure if it’s the youngest child syndrome or that perhaps I got the over-planning genes and therefore there were none left for her when she popped out 3 years later. She flies free like the wind, which has often meant disappearing without notice, getting a cat and then promptly giving it to my mother, and dating and breaking up with guys who then break into my old car and steal my birthday stereo that I passed on to her.

Now translate this “free spirit” to fit wedding planning. It doesn’t work. I even gave her the “Anti-Bride Wedding Guide”. I’m not sure she ever opened it…

The wedding is this Saturday. Let’s review how things have been going up to this point:
-The fiancé proposed. With a real ring!
+2 wedding points
-She picked out a wedding dress and got it ordered in December.
+1 wedding point
-She picked a location by January.
+1 wedding point
-She didn’t reserve said location. My dad realized this and had to remedy it in March.
-1 wedding point
-She got a wedding cake picked out and on order in March with the mother’s prompting. We’ll give it to her.
+1 wedding point
-She didn’t order flowers until last week. She also told them that price was no object (to her it wasn’t… my dad, who is paying for them, highly disagreed!).
-2 wedding points
-She changed the entire color of the wedding last minute last week, including the flower colors and bridesmaid dresses, from Navy Blue to Royal Purple.
-1 wedding point
-Luckily, she had not yet picked out bridesmaid dresses, the changing the color was not an issue. The issue was that her choices had ranged from juniors sizes to Mother of the Bride dresses to fabrics that were definitely going to ensure she was the only good looking girl standing in the wedding!
-1 wedding point (or is it a plus for her??)
-After sending out a link to the new purple bridesmaid dress she picked out, I made sure to let her know I didn’t care for the dress, but ordered it anyway because that’s what she really wanted. It then came in the mail, was tried on, and found to need much work to be wearable….
-1 wedding point
-While having Christina try and help me make the dress work yesterday, I was talking to my sister, and she told me that the other two bridesmaids didn’t like the dress either, so she let them order a different one, figuring it would mean I would stand out with a different dress as the Maid of Honor. Yes, I will stand out as the only one with a retarded dress on!!
-10 wedding points (personal bias)
-The groomsmen, which includes my brother, ordered tuxes, but were given no direction by the groom except that he insists on no tie or bowties, which apparently looks ridiculous. I guess the groom doesn’t have to worry about anyone standing looking better than him either…
-1 wedding point
-They completed a registry and sent out invitation a month ago.
+2 wedding points
-She sent invites to friends first, thus didn’t have enough for family, didn’t invite the entire family, and didn’t keep track of who she DID invite!
-2 wedding points
-She also did not keep track of RSVPs and who would actually be attending, so we have no idea who is actually coming and my dad has no idea what number to tell the caterer.
-1 wedding point
-I was one of the people that did NOT receive an invite. Minor since I’m in the wedding, except until last week, I didn’t know what time the wedding was at or where they were registered at. This made it hard to include information for the bridal shower, though that was already delayed due to the fact that I didn’t want to send invites to people who hadn’t even been invited to the wedding!!
-2 wedding points
-I actually got a list of girls she wanted at the bachelorette party.
+1 wedding point
-She told me to Facebook them, but didn’t give last names. Told me I could figure it out from her Facebook… she also insisted that she wanted a wild drinking night (which was a fight in itself) even though she wanted her underage friend and pregnant friend to be joining us…
-2 wedding points
-She was supposed to have all of her stuff out of my dad’s house two weeks ago so that he could prepare for family coming. She did nothing.
-1 wedding point
-After many threats, Colin took initiative and took anything she left behind to Good Will last week. She has yet to say anything (likely because she’s been staying with my mom and hasn’t been to Dad’s yet…). Problem solved, whether it was by her or not.
+1 wedding point
-With all of these frustations, I have had no shortage of prayer requests
+1 wedding point
-Ending on a good note, I get to go to Colorado, family will be gathering, good food will be eaten, and based on Jesus’s example, wine will flow freely. Wedding or not, poor planning aside, a good time should be had as long as we can make it through the rest of the week without killing my dear younger sister! (Thanks to my dad for putting some perspective on my frustrations)
+15 wedding points

Current Wedding Point Running Total: 0

...it could go either way.... ;)