A Little Over the Top, Maybe

When a friend of k-ster's got married, we went to their wedding extravaganza.  It was what I have always thought of as "a wedding".  We went through 2 years of weddings galore, everything from literally the 2 minute ceremony, the beach wedding, the backyard wedding, the church wedding, etc.  Until this wedding though, my "ideal wedding" image hadn't really been met.

We drove 6 hours to the wedding weekend events and from start to finish, it was what I always think of when I think of weddings.  The rehearsal dinner was just big enough.  They actually did a rehearsal of the wedding first (some rehearsal dinners we've been to had nothing to do with rehearsing...)  THe wedding was at a church, with an actual mass, and then the reception was at place that actually was designed for this sort of thing.

Where we live, everything is on a smaller scale.  We don't really have good restaurants around here for big weddings because nothing is really big and open enough for it.  We have lots of places that have lots of little rooms, so people end up getting stuck in rooms away from the action.  Or, they just have a wedding at or near the beach, in someone's backyard because it's just as expensive to rent a tent and cater.

When we went to the wedding mentioned above, the building was ideal for the reception.  It's located in place where grandiose weddings, bat and bar mitzvahs, proms and all sorts of things keep the place in business all year long.  I enjoyed the atmosphere and the whole thing.  It was very fairy tale-like and I like that.  I get sucked right into that.  Not having had my own wedding, I still have every specific rules in my head about how it should be done and I am pretty prejudiced about that.

After the happy couple had their first kid, they had a christening, but we didn't go.  And then they had a birthday party and we didn't go.  And then they had another baby and today, we received this:

Click on it and look at it carefully.  This is a christening announcement.  With choices for dinner.  WITH CHOICES FOR DINNER?????  At a CHRISTENING?  My brain fills with pictures of the fancy wedding place. Where we chose meals FOR A WEDDING.

I can't get past this.  They clearly are well off, and I have no problem with that.  I'm glad for them and I'm glad they can provide a great life for their kids.

But in my experience, a christening takes place at a church and then you go back to someone's house for a party.  You don't select meals in advance like it's a wedding.

I almost want to drive the 6 hours to see the spectacle that this will be.  A spectacle for a 1 year old.  Wait, I don't think she's even a year old.

I'm not meaning to offend you if you yourself had a big hoopla like this for a baby.  I just can't wrap my head around it.

I wonder if future birthday parties will include ponies and clowns and various themes that we hear about only on tv.  But, as curious as it makes me, I can't drive the 6 hours to witness it.  I just can't do it!

Discuss.....