Steampunk wedding
We went to a friend's steampunk-themed wedding last weekend. It was exactly the sort of uber-geek wedding that was most appropriate for these particular friends. The majority of the guests dressed up in steampunk garb, most notably the bride (which makes sense as she's in charge of a regional steampunk convention). A few very elaborate outfits mixed with some extremely interesting albeit appropriate choices -- one man wore a marine engineers costume with gray leather overalls and a 1920's white sailor's cap.
We dressed up as well, with my son and I in vests and dress shirts; he with an antique bowler hat and I with a pocket watch given to me by L years ago. L was dressed to the nines, but perhaps had as much fun coordinating the most elaborate outfit for our daughter. She wore layers of dresses and petticoats, a velvet half-vest, a black lacy corset/bustier, and an antique feathered widow's hat.
To emphasize how extreme on the geek-o-meter this event was: immediately after the couple was announced as man and wife, both turned to the side and raced to update their Facebook profiles, finishing within 15 seconds! It quite tickled the fancy of everyone there.
It was quite a relief that it went well and L handled it well. The groom was L's first poly boyfriend and I know she still holds tender feelings toward him. I know firsthand how hard it can be to attend the wedding of someone you still pine for to some degree (KJ's wedding two years ago). Still, no hurt seemed to be triggered and it was a fulfilling and happy-making event for all of us.
I also wondered how the groom's relatively-recent ex-wife was handling the wedding. They're still close friends, housemates, and co-parents so I've been assuming that she's had time to process this wedding. I'm not in contact with her frequently enough any more to know her feelings on this matter. Regardless, I send some supportive thoughts her way.
We dressed up as well, with my son and I in vests and dress shirts; he with an antique bowler hat and I with a pocket watch given to me by L years ago. L was dressed to the nines, but perhaps had as much fun coordinating the most elaborate outfit for our daughter. She wore layers of dresses and petticoats, a velvet half-vest, a black lacy corset/bustier, and an antique feathered widow's hat.
To emphasize how extreme on the geek-o-meter this event was: immediately after the couple was announced as man and wife, both turned to the side and raced to update their Facebook profiles, finishing within 15 seconds! It quite tickled the fancy of everyone there.
It was quite a relief that it went well and L handled it well. The groom was L's first poly boyfriend and I know she still holds tender feelings toward him. I know firsthand how hard it can be to attend the wedding of someone you still pine for to some degree (KJ's wedding two years ago). Still, no hurt seemed to be triggered and it was a fulfilling and happy-making event for all of us.
I also wondered how the groom's relatively-recent ex-wife was handling the wedding. They're still close friends, housemates, and co-parents so I've been assuming that she's had time to process this wedding. I'm not in contact with her frequently enough any more to know her feelings on this matter. Regardless, I send some supportive thoughts her way.