Sorry I can't attend your Friday afternoon wedding, but WHY ARE YOU MAD ABOUT IT?

[NotUrsula]

Goofy, I think you're the proud possessor of a set of pickle forks.

 

[LadyShiva]

For a time, at several Southern weddings (one at which I got married at), it was a given that you would get a terra cotta (I'll be nice here) "friendship" thing. It seriously looked like a bunch of men urinating into a pot. You would find these hideous clay things everywhere... There was one at an antiques store down from my MIL's house. 'Bout 3 feet tall, naked figures in a circle with their arms on each other's shoulders, facing a pot in the middle.

Anyone else get one of these???? Anyone just have a picture they can point to?

I got some strange gifts. Thankfully, I think I never GAVE any strange gifts.

I got an "oleo" holder at my bridal shower.

I got a huge plastic candle holder (decorated with angels) holding a pedestal scented candle. Gram got that for her Church because the over-powering vanilla smell gave DH a headache immediately.

Brandie

 

[goofy!]

Goofy, I think you're the proud possessor of a set of pickle forks.

Pickle forks? Got to go look that one up I was raised on European etiquette (parents are from Europe and my mother nannied in Paris for awhile - so she applied the Parisian etiquette to her kids). We ate everything with a fork and knife including open faced sandwiches and apples. But I must say I never heard of pickle forks.

Wait till I tell my teens they can't open the fridge, grab the jar and stand there slurping pickles. That they will have to use the pickle forks

 

[LadyShiva]

As for internation factoids...
In Spain, kids get both their mother and father's names.

In France, they don't get wedding cakes like we do. They do little balls of dough plastered high with caramelized sugar.

In parts of Africa, social status is traced through the mother, not the husband.

That's what I got. Next?

Brandie

 

[RVGal]

When my oldest sister got married... the same one that got the silver toast holder/server... it was 1976.

She got coffee mugs on wrought iron trees... those mini crockery brown and cream colored bowls with the handles (KWIM?)... and a ton of bicentennial kitchen stuff (towels, serving bowls, etc.).

Man, do I wish she still had the bicentennial stuff. I'd probably be worth something on eBay!

The Circle of Friends Candle Holder? Oh, yeah... I remember that era...
http://www.sancarlosimports.com/ciroffrien.html

 

[LadyShiva]

The Circle of Friends Candle Holder? Oh, yeah... I remember that era...
http://www.sancarlosimports.com/ciroffrien.html

BINGO!

And with that, I'm off to get the baby from day care. Ya'll have a great night!

Brandie

 

[keishashadow]

For shower, even though it was over 25 years ago:

I received several pewter platters (bicentennial); not sure what happened to them.

Many religious items (one statue of a polish saint of whom i have no clue) still have them stored away, had hoped for an icon from "the old county"; none was forthcoming. They are beautiful works of art, authentic vintage ones rarely come on the market.

a couple of pieces of capodimonte that i thought were dumb @ the time, grew to appreciate them.

and enough corelle bakewear for life, still have it MIB.

 

[muffyn]

You know that's so funny! We have all our weird gifts too from our wedding. I have something that a cousin gave me that to this day we don't know what it is. Really. No idea!

oh you gotta start a new thread & include the picture. I think the group needs another 'laugh' thread on here..... besides someone may just be able to decipher the strange things you guys all go tyou can't figure what they are.. you might be actually holding something worth $$$

 

[MickeyCrazedMom]

I am overwhelmed by all of the differences in wedding traditions. I have spent my entire life in Michigan and every wedding I have been to has been in Mi and has generally been the same expectation.

The bridemaids throw a shower. The whole purpose is to supply the couple with gifts for their home so the invite definitly includes registries. Then there is a bachelorette party. "Gifts" are completely optional but usually given is lingerie, toys, etc. This is not the party you invite grandma to, just close friends.

At the wedding you provide a gift of cash to start them on their life. Everyone I know takes into consideration how much the wedding cost when deciding how much to give, but also how close they are to the couple. Not everyone does this, at my wedding some gave us $10, some $200. I would never attend a wedding or a shower with out a gift or cash. THat being said, I wouldn't have wanted someone to not come to my wedding because they couldn't afford a gift. THis was not our purpose for inviting people, but the cash certainly was nice and helped out with our expenses.

A baby shower is given to provide gifts for the child. So when I throw a shower for my Dsis who is pregnant, I will include the registry in the invite. I am giving the shower so that everyone can celebrate with her and provide her with baby items. But we only have a shower only for the first child.

Also - I grew up being told that if you open a gift in front of someone and say thank then, you don't need to send a thank you note. But for showers and weddings, there are so many people that we send a thank you note so that each person has an individual thank you for the gift and for spending the day with us.

 

[AlexandNessa]

OMG, OP here, coming back to the thread about 6 pages later. Definitely not the same thread I started, but I do love talking weddings!

As long as we're on the story of silly wedding gifts .... my aunt is a teacher in a day care center. For Christmas one year, one of the children's parents gave her one of the ugliest ceramic clocks you've ever seen. Hideous, actually. She couldn't help be touched but amused. She quickly re-gifted the clock to my father with a note saying that she felt bad she had hung on to this precious family heirloom for entirely too long, and clearly, it was my father's turn to have it and enjoy it.

When my aunt's son (my cousin Chris) got married, my mother then took the opportunity to rewrap that clock in wedding paper. She addressed the card to Danielle and Chris and signed it "Love, Aunt Ester and Uncle Bubba" (My parents names are Lorrie and Joe) and left it on the table with all the other wedding gifts.

Later, after the wedding, my cousin called my aunt saying, "We got this wedding gift, but we don't really know who it's from. I mean, we don't really like it. It's really kinda ugly, but we don't know who to thank for it."

After their honeymoon, my mom and aunt filled them in on the story.

Now, the clock is re-gifted at all major family events. There are 2 rules: 1. It must be for a momentous occasion. It can't be for a regular birthday or Father's Day, etc. 2. The recipient must proudly display the clock in a place of honor. You can't hide it in a drawer.

In addition to my cousin's wedding, the clock has been given to my brother for his housewarming, to me for my 30th birthday (which my brother shipped from CA to my mother in NJ to pack with her to fly down to Florida to meet us at Portobello's for my birthday dinner .. this was before Portobello's sucked. Only to have me fly it back home to NJ), to my uncle for his retirement from the phone company, back to my brother for his engagement. I think my brother secretly likes this ugly clock because he easily could've passed it back to my other cousin on his wedding. We're not sure which occasion my brother is going to pick to regift now. He wants it to be a surprise.

 

[LadyShiva]

Nessa, that story ROCKS!

Brandie

 

[AlexandNessa]

thanks, Brandie! BTW, looking forward to meeting you on the 5/3/08 Western!

 

[LadyShiva]

thanks, Brandie! BTW, looking forward to meeting you on the 5/3/08 Western!

*chuckle* Ditto!

Brandie

 

[swea_pea1]

Just FYI for those who are not Roman Catholic: Catholics cannot be married in church after 3 pm on Saturdays, so if you want an evening wedding with dinner and dancing, a Friday night it will be. If guests can't make it, then they can't; it isn't worth getting upset over.

This too must be a regional thing. I was married in a Roman Catholic ceremony at 4:00 p.m. on a Saturday. There were about 20 people in the back of the church who were just there to attend Mass since it counted for the Sunday obligation. They were all very sweet and told me I looked beautiful at the receiving line That was one of the draws of having a 4:00 wedding Mass - we didn't have to get up the next morning to go to church.

They've changed it since because they moved the Saturday evening Mass from 7:00 to 6:00 and it's just too hard to get the wedding out before the church-goers come in. There was nothing said about it being against Church doctrine to be married after 3 p.m.

 

[macraven]

can someone give me the cliff notes on this thread.

i'm still on page 3..........

 

[goofy!]

can someone give me the cliff notes on this thread.

i'm still on page 3..........

Hi Mac! Welcome back!

1) Jodi posted about a bride that became quite agitated at her because she couldn't make their Friday wedding.

2) That got turned into a heated discourse on Destination Weddings

3) Which then turned into a heated discourse on how much you should spend on gifts

4) Some were said to be part of an Universal clique

5) Then some discussion of strange wedding gifts (I think I am the guilty one in changing to that topic)

6) Some pretty funny stories intertwined in the thread

 

[roseprincess]

can someone give me the cliff notes on this thread.

i'm still on page 3..........

You are SO funny, Mac!

Welcome back!!!

 

[Desnik]

Hi Mac! Welcome back!

1) Jodi posted about a bride that became quite agitated at her because she couldn't make their Friday wedding.

2) That got turned into a heated discourse on Destination Weddings

3) Which then turned into a heated discourse on how much you should spend on gifts

4) Some were said to be part of an Universal clique

5) Then some discussion of strange wedding gifts (I think I am the guilty one in changing to that topic)

6) Some pretty funny stories intertwined in the thread

Thanks for breaking it down for me too! I started reading it and I just can't read the whole thing!LOL

My uncle got married on Valentine's day a few years ago and it was on a week night an hour and a half away from me. I have 2 kids and there was no way we could do it with school the next day and DH having work. I took a lot of heat from my family about not attending. I didn't care and wasn't going to give in. I was at his first wedding Actually I was in it! Anyway that date worked for them but not me. They had to know some would not attend.

DH and I didn't have a wedding. We are planning on renewing our vows at WDW next year and would love our family and friends to be there. I know that a lot of people won't be able to come. I would never be mad at them. This is something DH and I really want to do, it's our dream wedding and I do understand why some have issues with destination weddings. My own mother is giving me a hard time about it! I just tell her she has no choice because she is my mother and has to be there!LOL

 

[RVGal]

Hi Mac! Welcome back!

1) Jodi posted about a bride that became quite agitated at her because she couldn't make their Friday wedding.

2) That got turned into a heated discourse on Destination Weddings

3) Which then turned into a heated discourse on how much you should spend on gifts

4) Some were said to be part of an Universal clique

5) Then some discussion of strange wedding gifts (I think I am the guilty one in changing to that topic)

6) Some pretty funny stories intertwined in the thread

Where were you when I was trying to pass courses in college?

 

[Spidey7]

Does this mean that I should probably re-think my wedding destination in the Canary Islands at 11a.m. on a Christmas Day. And do you think my "suggested" wedding gifts of a Ferrari and/or canary diamond a little much?

Maybe I should re-think this?