Bridal Shower
I have been to a lot of bridal showers, just by the age that I am, because so many people are married already. They are always fun and interesting to see. The thing is you usually think the bride is just beaming with happiness and I was sure that everyone who had this experience was over the moon in this etherial experience. And yes it was fun but nobody knows what stress is going on undernealth the happy demeanor. When the bridal shower happens it is usually pretty close to the wedding and the amount of things you are juggling is a lot higher than you want to. I don't think I was really totally able to appreciate the event nor the tradition that surrounds it. Everything was wonderful but I was so worried about making sure people didn't think I was asking for rediculous things and makings sure they knew how much I appreciated it that I probably missed some of the fun of the event.
Steve was nice and he came along too. I wanted him to meet some new people in the family that he had not met yet. And it was nice also since it was at his mom's house. I do feel bad that Steve's mom got stuck with a lot of the work though. She didn't initially want to do the event because there has been a faux-pas about mother's giving showers being like asking for things for their kids and not proper. But that has changed in recent years. All the showers I have been to in recent years have either been at the mother's house or hosted by the moms. Plus my mom started freaking me out about 2 months ago because she couldn't do the shower at her house or pay to have it at a restaurant. My parents have seperate finances for all sorts of reasons so she felt bad asking him to do it and so it was becoming an issue with her asking about how to do it in weird cheap ways. So I bit the bullet and asked if Mrs Yates would be able to help/host. She was gracious about it and after some conference calling about what foods/schedule a shower entailed between the moms we had one set. Not too overdone or fancy per the Yates and not too small or un-classy per my mom. (I know , the irony) My friend Susan from work (who is standing up) also offered to host it but she lives in the city and nobody that I knew would be able to attend there.
In the end, I hope it was fun for people to attend. I know I was suprised at what people brought. Some of the interesting gifts were a vintage tablecloth used as wrapping on a gift, 2 waterford champaigne glasses with Champagne and my mom somehow got my dad to buy the entire crystal set of 12 wine glasses, 12 water goblets and 12 champagne flutes from Macy's on sale. I am still not sure how she got him to do that. Steve's parents got us the set of stainless flatware that we picked out to go with the vintage China I have. So it is a lot like my parent's wedding shower where they got all those sets from family too. Although with fewer family members.
It makes me miss those times when more family was around. Some of the great aunts that were there for my parent's wedding and through my childhood aren't around anymore and I know they would have liked to be there. Only one is still around and could come. My Aunt Dorothy. The rest of the people enjoyed her humor, of which I didn't remember since she used to live in Florida and I rarely saw her. It is only because now that she lives back here because of her health and to be located near family that she could come.
I wasn't sure I got to talk enough to everyone who came out to the shower or that people weren't bored at times. Some family was there but looked like they didn't know many people and were a bit bored. I was trying to speed things along because people had to leave at certain times. But hopefully people still had fun.
Then when it was all over (which was quicker than you think when you're in the center of it all) we were left in the center of a pile of boxes. Somehow Steve packed most of it into the car and we ended up with a pile of boxes on our kitchen table along with boxes still unopened from my final move of stuff from my condo. It was a bit of a mess. After a few days we have managed to tame the moving boxes and the tupperware in them as well as some of the wedding related gifts. Everybody was very generous and gave things either from the registry or really nice gifts. Not at all the variance i have seen at other wedding showers. I guess we got lucky.
There is still a ton to do with the rehersal dinner, Sunday brunch and a whole host of wedding vendors. Who knows if we will get through it all without a glitch.
Steve was nice and he came along too. I wanted him to meet some new people in the family that he had not met yet. And it was nice also since it was at his mom's house. I do feel bad that Steve's mom got stuck with a lot of the work though. She didn't initially want to do the event because there has been a faux-pas about mother's giving showers being like asking for things for their kids and not proper. But that has changed in recent years. All the showers I have been to in recent years have either been at the mother's house or hosted by the moms. Plus my mom started freaking me out about 2 months ago because she couldn't do the shower at her house or pay to have it at a restaurant. My parents have seperate finances for all sorts of reasons so she felt bad asking him to do it and so it was becoming an issue with her asking about how to do it in weird cheap ways. So I bit the bullet and asked if Mrs Yates would be able to help/host. She was gracious about it and after some conference calling about what foods/schedule a shower entailed between the moms we had one set. Not too overdone or fancy per the Yates and not too small or un-classy per my mom. (I know , the irony) My friend Susan from work (who is standing up) also offered to host it but she lives in the city and nobody that I knew would be able to attend there.
In the end, I hope it was fun for people to attend. I know I was suprised at what people brought. Some of the interesting gifts were a vintage tablecloth used as wrapping on a gift, 2 waterford champaigne glasses with Champagne and my mom somehow got my dad to buy the entire crystal set of 12 wine glasses, 12 water goblets and 12 champagne flutes from Macy's on sale. I am still not sure how she got him to do that. Steve's parents got us the set of stainless flatware that we picked out to go with the vintage China I have. So it is a lot like my parent's wedding shower where they got all those sets from family too. Although with fewer family members.
It makes me miss those times when more family was around. Some of the great aunts that were there for my parent's wedding and through my childhood aren't around anymore and I know they would have liked to be there. Only one is still around and could come. My Aunt Dorothy. The rest of the people enjoyed her humor, of which I didn't remember since she used to live in Florida and I rarely saw her. It is only because now that she lives back here because of her health and to be located near family that she could come.
I wasn't sure I got to talk enough to everyone who came out to the shower or that people weren't bored at times. Some family was there but looked like they didn't know many people and were a bit bored. I was trying to speed things along because people had to leave at certain times. But hopefully people still had fun.
Then when it was all over (which was quicker than you think when you're in the center of it all) we were left in the center of a pile of boxes. Somehow Steve packed most of it into the car and we ended up with a pile of boxes on our kitchen table along with boxes still unopened from my final move of stuff from my condo. It was a bit of a mess. After a few days we have managed to tame the moving boxes and the tupperware in them as well as some of the wedding related gifts. Everybody was very generous and gave things either from the registry or really nice gifts. Not at all the variance i have seen at other wedding showers. I guess we got lucky.
There is still a ton to do with the rehersal dinner, Sunday brunch and a whole host of wedding vendors. Who knows if we will get through it all without a glitch.