Catholic Wedding Alert!!!!!

[UncleKyle]

No offense to all the Catholic Disers but I have to attend a traditional catholic wedding (with mass) in two weeks and I'm dreading it. My girlfriend's best friend is getting married and she's the maid of honor in the wedding. I've been told by her and the bride that the wedding will be in the area of an hour to an hour and a half long!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Any ideas on how to pass the time? I've thought about taking a book and sticking it in between the bible, or maybe just taking a gameboy and playing it the whole time. I know to some that might be offensive but to me the real true offense is making anyone sit through a wedding thats longer than 15 minutes.Only reason anyone (besides the bride and her mom) come to the ceremony is so they can attend the reception.

Mine will be: anyone have any reason, I do, she does, here's the rings, now where is the whiskey, beer, and the dance floor.

So whats the best way to kill time?

 

[stinkerbelle]

speaking as a catholic who also gets bored at catholic weddings...may I say NOT to bring a book? you know SOME guest will catch you...and it's rather rude.

we went to a church wedding recently...the priest was actually VERY entertaining...he made the hour fly by.

ETA - I hope you are joking...cause you are bashing alot of peoples faiths with your post.

(FTR - I had an 11 minute ceremony. heheh)

 

[mtemm]

I had a full mass catholic wedding and I had so many people catholic or not, tell me what a beautiful ceremony it was...I still hear it, 7 years later. ours was right around 1 hour, we had a little more than 100 people there. I didn't make anyone go...I invited them. they made their own choice.

If you really can't bear it, why not just skip the ceremony and only go to the reception. If you are asked I'm sure you could come up with an excuse...overslept, traffic, car wouldn't start, whatever.

I personally love all weddings...the quickies to the long ones. even the greek orthodox ones where I didn't understand a single word...just love them. dh on the other hand would probably rather just skip the ceremony and head to the reception

 

[UncleKyle]

guess I should type this disclaimer: joking about the book and gameboy at the wedding, hence the at the top of my post. Although I have seen people with books and games at a wedding, and I was jealous of them.

Seriously, it's just become harder these days to sit through any wedding when everyone I know is getting a divorce or has already had one.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

I figured for what I was spending for my wedding I wanted it to last more then 15 mins. Mass ended up being an 1 hour. And I also had many people Catholic and Non-Catholic tell me it was a beautiful wedding.

You could always sit there people watch.

 

[NMAmy]

Originally posted by UncleKyle
I know to some that might be offensive but to me the real true offense is making anyone sit through a wedding thats longer than 15 minutes.Only reason anyone (besides the bride and her mom) come to the ceremony is so they can attend the reception.

Maybe the groom comes to the ceremony for another reason besides attending the reception? At least, I HOPE he does!

 

[UncleKyle]

Originally posted by NMAmy
Maybe the groom comes to the ceremony for another reason besides attending the reception? At least, I HOPE he does!

Exactly, he's not there for the ceremony either, just the rewards of the ceremony like everyone else!

 

[stinkerbelle]

Originally posted by UncleKyle
guess I should type this disclaimer: joking about the book and gameboy at the wedding, hence the at the top of my post. Although I have seen people with books and games at a wedding, and I was jealous of them.

Seriously, it's just become harder these days to sit through any wedding when everyone I know is getting a divorce or has already had one.

oye - missed that! sorry!

actually - my DH complained once about sitting throught an hour and 25 minute wedding...only to have them divorce withing 3 months. And the bride over heard this! (of course - it was 6 months after her divorce...so I dont' know why she got all ticked off...)

 

[Freyja]

When we got married 7 years ago, we actually made a point out of the wedding being at least one hour. I have just never liked short weddings, and tend to find them a lot more dull than those that some planning has been put into. We had a choir sing at our wedding (Amigos para siempre...), had a saxophone player play our favorite songs (Moon river, When I fall in love...) and the priest actually held a long but very personal speech.

Everyone told us afterwards that they had loved the ceremony and of course the dinner that followed.

Just wanted to make the point that long ceremonies do not have to be killers.

 

[luv2nascar]

good luck
I don't like any wedding over 1/2 hr
ours was 20 mins and people expressed how lovely it was
I've gone to some 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 weddings and was pretty bored

 

[RadioNate]

Sounds like my friend's wedding. Her's was more than an hour and a half at 930AM! Tons of singing in latin, the whole nine yards. It was all I could do to stay awake.

I tend to read the hymn book, the wedding program or the church newsletter if I can snag one on the way in.

Good luck, if you can manage to skip the church I would. I bet the bride and groom wouldn't even really notice. GF might but maybe she won't be too upset.

and YES I'm Catholic. I just don't take everything all that seriously.

 

[JetMom]

On the other side of the coin -- The first time I went to a non-Catholic Wedding, I was stunned by how quick it was. I remembering asking "are you sure they're really married?"

It has always seemed to me that an occaision as serious as a wedding should last more than 15 minutes!

 

[Cindy B]

And here I thought it was YOUR WEDDING!

Suck it up. You'll live! I can think of worse things to do instead of a wedding for an hour

 

[onecoolmama]

Uncle Kyle - They are long ceremonies..i had one and it took a while. But I had 6 preists there to help with communion and things..try to make the time go faster.LOL.


What I didnt know when I picked the friday night that I picked was that the Redskins Preseason game was on. My wedding wasnt during the game, but my brother wanted to hear he pregame show...(let me tell you what I truly think of those pregame shows another time)

He brought a small TV and and head phones and listened during the ceremony. If you looked at the groomsmen in the church, they were huddled up in their pews. It was the funniest thing ever.

So, to past the time...picture a few people naked, count all the bald men, take a small book and put it in the program booklet you will get as you walk in. But whatever you do..dont bring a small tv and headphones..it is very obvious!

 

[GoodFairies]

If you are truly going to be miserable, you should skip it and just go to the reception. I'm not a fan of weddings either, especially long, drawn out ones. And to everyone who said their guests commented on how beautiful your long wedding was...of course people are going to say it was beautiful. Would someone really say "Your ceremony was so long and boring and I wish I had thought to bring a good novel or my Gameboy to tide me over until I could get loaded at your reception." ??? I doubt it.

 

[UncleKyle]

Originally posted by GoodFairies
Would someone really say "Your ceremony was so long and boring and I wish I had thought to bring a good novel or my Gameboy to tide me over until I could get loaded at your reception." ??? I doubt it.

Exactly, I don't think I could ever tell someone there wedding was boring. Except maybe my brother or something. But then he's like me, it'll be over before they can ice the beer.

 

[*Fantasia*]

If you are truly going to be miserable, you should skip it and just go to the reception.

I agree. If it's going to be painful for you to sit for an hour, then I would suggest to skip the wedding and just go to the reception. Hopefully your GF will understand that you don't want to be there and listen to the whole Mass. Maybe you can stay for at least half hour and the other half maybe you can leave. At least you you saw part of the wedding. Well Good Luck! I hope you don't get too bored.

In the Philippines, I think it is custom to have the wedding during the Mass and the wedding ceremony is open to the public and of course closed to the reception. Kind of weird huh?

 

[helenabear]

Originally posted by JetMom
On the other side of the coin -- The first time I went to a non-Catholic Wedding, I was stunned by how quick it was. I remembering asking "are you sure they're really married?"

It has always seemed to me that an occaision as serious as a wedding should last more than 15 minutes!

It's funny, I feel the same way... I actually find it a treat when I go to a wedding that lasts longer than 15 minutes

Kyle, honestly I would either skip it if you think it will be too long and boring to you. I know our full mass was just about an hour long. I would rather someone appreciate the wedding, so if they were bored, I would rather them not attend the ceremony at all.

 

[Sheree Bobbins]

I don't think anyone's mentioned this: self-reflection and meditation. I went to an hour and a half Catholic wedding last year (Philippino) and found the time to ponder.


To my surprise, the reception was hugely attended. I couldn't get over how many people had skipped the church part (which is the important part to attend in my mind).

 

[Otimon]

It's only a short time out of your life. Do it for the bride and groom and put on your happy face.