Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

PJMcK

(21,916 posts)
Sat May 23, 2020, 08:17 AM May 2020

We attended a wedding yesterday

My nephew and his fiancee have been planning their wedding for a year and chose May 22nd as their date. When the coronavirus made it clear that everyone wouldn't be able to attend, they pushed the date back to July. In the last few weeks, however, it became clear that that date wasn't going to work either.

In a sign of our times, they reinstated the original date and got married on Zoom. They had a beautiful day for their ceremony and the groom's brother-in-law performed the wedding. They had to limit the number of attendees to 15 and the ceremony took place outdoors with appropriate social distancing. There appeared to be over 50 people tuned in for the event and it was wonderful to be able to be a part of their wedding.

Some observations that struck me:

-We didn't have to travel 4 hours each way
-We didn't have to get a hotel room
-We didn't have to get dressed up (one couple in their bathing suits was watching from a beach)
-I didn't have to dance at the reception (I suck!)

So, all in all, it was a terrific experience and my nephew and his wife are happily married.

In the future, I guess there will be weddings where the couple will be separated but they'll get married remotely!

Modern life... ain't it great?!

36 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
We attended a wedding yesterday (Original Post) PJMcK May 2020 OP
Corona is pushing us in the direction we were going anyway-- just... TreasonousBastard May 2020 #1
Like Ferris Bueller says, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once ... marble falls May 2020 #2
Good quote! PJMcK May 2020 #5
Our family too snowybirdie May 2020 #3
No, up in the air is when my friends got married in a balloon! Maeve May 2020 #7
Love it! snowybirdie May 2020 #8
Up, up and away... PJMcK May 2020 #10
Aww, that's cool! BlancheSplanchnik May 2020 #19
K&R, Sounds like this couple is going to be on the side of science and common sense a good start uponit7771 May 2020 #4
They're very bright and engaging young people PJMcK May 2020 #6
My daughter got married on Facebook Live iwillalwayswonderwhy May 2020 #9
Best wishes to your daughter! (n/t) PJMcK May 2020 #11
I am officiating a wedding this evening. Pacifist Patriot May 2020 #12
Hope all goes well PJMcK May 2020 #22
The bride's father has this thing planned like a military exercise. Pacifist Patriot May 2020 #30
I've always thought that the big expensive weddings were a waste of money-- mtngirl47 May 2020 #13
10k? HA! That number has been left in the dust oldsoftie May 2020 #15
I've officiated over 600 weddings over the last 15 years. Pacifist Patriot May 2020 #31
HA! But 600? WOW!!! oldsoftie May 2020 #33
Not that many in recent years, but Pacifist Patriot May 2020 #34
To them: Mazel tov! Good on them for Ilsa May 2020 #14
As long as the check doesn't bounce, they appreciate your attendance. JustABozoOnThisBus May 2020 #16
I'm sure there was some drinking! PJMcK May 2020 #23
Let's hope COVID kills the Wedding-Industrial Complex. Coventina May 2020 #17
Here, here PJMcK May 2020 #24
Didn't have to get dressed up.... paleotn May 2020 #18
The question everybody WANTS to ask, is, of course...... DFW May 2020 #20
Well, the bride and groom have been living together for a coupe of years PJMcK May 2020 #25
For their sake... DFW May 2020 #27
That's a great story! PJMcK May 2020 #28
Sounds like a WIN all around! BlancheSplanchnik May 2020 #21
If this is a new trend... PJMcK May 2020 #26
Wedding industrial complex! DFW May 2020 #29
Yes! It's all banking on (mostly) young women's fairytale fantasies. BlancheSplanchnik May 2020 #35
Only one problem: you didn't get wedding cake 😄 hauckeye May 2020 #32
My daughter had a zoom wedding Laurelin May 2020 #36

marble falls

(56,353 posts)
2. Like Ferris Bueller says, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once ...
Sat May 23, 2020, 08:24 AM
May 2020

in a while, you could miss it."

Congratulations to the couple!

snowybirdie

(5,190 posts)
3. Our family too
Sat May 23, 2020, 08:28 AM
May 2020

My mountain climbing grandson and his fiancee were scheduled to be married in June on a mountain top in Utah. That's been cancelled and wedding plans are still up in the air!

Maeve

(42,223 posts)
7. No, up in the air is when my friends got married in a balloon!
Sat May 23, 2020, 08:35 AM
May 2020

Sorry, couldn't resist (but they DID; he was a pilot and the minister was nervous but game)

PJMcK

(21,916 posts)
6. They're very bright and engaging young people
Sat May 23, 2020, 08:33 AM
May 2020

Last edited Sat May 23, 2020, 11:20 AM - Edit history (1)

They both have outgoing and friendly personalities and they share many of the same goals. I hope they'll have many years of happiness together!

iwillalwayswonderwhy

(2,598 posts)
9. My daughter got married on Facebook Live
Sat May 23, 2020, 09:01 AM
May 2020

I live in England, she lives in Florida. His elderly parents live in Virginia. We had all planned to travel for the wedding, but Covid 19 changed all our plans.

It was a lovely ceremony, and they are just as married as any of us.

Pacifist Patriot

(24,647 posts)
12. I am officiating a wedding this evening.
Sat May 23, 2020, 09:33 AM
May 2020

On the beach

limited guests

guest seating arranged by households with each household at least ten feet away from the others

groom is holding the rings so I will not touch them

bringing my own sound system so I can speak softly from a distance

and a number of other precautions being taken

I am curious what this experience will be like. I would never have agreed to do this if they weren't already friends and I officiated the bride's sister's wedding last October.

PJMcK

(21,916 posts)
22. Hope all goes well
Sat May 23, 2020, 11:22 AM
May 2020

It sounds like you've covered the safety issues.

Love in the era of Covid-19. Weird.

Pacifist Patriot

(24,647 posts)
30. The bride's father has this thing planned like a military exercise.
Sat May 23, 2020, 12:34 PM
May 2020

I'm in awe of what he's managing to pull off for his daughter that ticks all the safety boxes. He's one of those people who will walk through fire to help you solve a knotty problem. Great guy!

I learned yesterday that the wedding favors are gift bags with personalized hand sanitizer bottles and other pandemic supplies. LOL!

mtngirl47

(985 posts)
13. I've always thought that the big expensive weddings were a waste of money--
Sat May 23, 2020, 09:56 AM
May 2020

I had a hippy wedding in a garden many years ago.....

Maybe the side effect for the virus will be young couples re-thinking the $10k weddings!

oldsoftie

(12,410 posts)
15. 10k? HA! That number has been left in the dust
Sat May 23, 2020, 10:50 AM
May 2020

And when the hell did "barn weddings" become a "thing"?
Here's a greta idea; lets get married in a barn. In Georgia. In JULY. I had to go to 3 of those things last year. Every bride always says they want their wedding to be "special". Then they all do the same thing as the rest of them

Pacifist Patriot

(24,647 posts)
31. I've officiated over 600 weddings over the last 15 years.
Sat May 23, 2020, 12:36 PM
May 2020

You are so right!

I could count unique weddings that took me by surprise on my digits without having to remove my shoes.

Pacifist Patriot

(24,647 posts)
34. Not that many in recent years, but
Sat May 23, 2020, 02:37 PM
May 2020

2010 or 2011, can't remember which, I officiated 97. I'll have a grand total of 2 this year. I have to really really like you to agree to do your wedding these days. 😀

JustABozoOnThisBus

(23,282 posts)
16. As long as the check doesn't bounce, they appreciate your attendance.
Sat May 23, 2020, 10:51 AM
May 2020

In person, or virtually.

Maybe none of the attendees got a DUI.

PJMcK

(21,916 posts)
24. Here, here
Sat May 23, 2020, 11:24 AM
May 2020

My wife and I went before a judge and got married in the well of her courtroom. Following the ceremony, she sentenced us to a life term!

paleotn

(17,778 posts)
18. Didn't have to get dressed up....
Sat May 23, 2020, 11:04 AM
May 2020

Ya! Sorry, but I truly detest getting all dressed up. Ties are torture devices.

DFW

(54,047 posts)
20. The question everybody WANTS to ask, is, of course......
Sat May 23, 2020, 11:17 AM
May 2020

Did the bride and groom maintain proper social distance on their wedding night?

By the way, my sister and her husband got married 20 years ago yesterday. They had a zoom gathering, too, for their 20th (now that I know what THAT is! LOL!!!) anniversary. I never wold have been able to make a trip over to North America for a day just for that, so it worked out fine for me. My daughter was on from Manhattan, my brother from Langley, VA, a few from New England and some from a galaxy far, far away (they called it "Indiana" or some such foreign name....).

PJMcK

(21,916 posts)
25. Well, the bride and groom have been living together for a coupe of years
Sat May 23, 2020, 11:25 AM
May 2020

I suspect that they didn't bother social distancing from one another.

At least I hope they didn't!

DFW

(54,047 posts)
27. For their sake...
Sat May 23, 2020, 11:29 AM
May 2020

I hope not, too!

Way back when, my brother invited me to my own wedding. Actually, it was originally supposed to be only HIS wedding, but when I said I'd see if my girlfriend could come, too, he said, "well, if you're BOTH gonna be there, why not make it a double wedding?" and so we did. My wife and I had been together for 8 years before the wedding, and my best man said in his speech, "I know all of you think they're rushing into this...."

BlancheSplanchnik

(20,219 posts)
21. Sounds like a WIN all around!
Sat May 23, 2020, 11:17 AM
May 2020

Sorry they didn’t get a giant shindig, but their hearts should be just as happy, and everyone was able to take it easy! Money saved... Less gas used and car exhaust, too!

PJMcK

(21,916 posts)
26. If this is a new trend...
Sat May 23, 2020, 11:27 AM
May 2020

...I'm all for it.

Generally, weddings are a pain. The travel, hotels, clothes, meals, gifts, etc. just end up costing a lot of money. When you're at the wedding, you'll only get a few brief moments with the couple so, what's the point?

As someone posted above, hopefully this will dent the wedding industrial complex!

DFW

(54,047 posts)
29. Wedding industrial complex!
Sat May 23, 2020, 11:32 AM
May 2020

A new term has been coined.

Ours wasn't overly elaborate, but the airlines and hotels did just fine. It was held in Washington, but since the two brides were from Germany and Japan, the place looked like an informal gathering of the UN General assembly.

BlancheSplanchnik

(20,219 posts)
35. Yes! It's all banking on (mostly) young women's fairytale fantasies.
Sat May 23, 2020, 05:39 PM
May 2020

And family pressure... all of it is a big unnecessary expense and pain in the butt.

Laurelin

(518 posts)
36. My daughter had a zoom wedding
Sun May 24, 2020, 04:26 AM
May 2020

She and her fiance got married in their backyard. It was lovely. The best part was that people who couldn't make it to an in-person ceremony could participate in the Zoom wedding.

They couldn't get the money refunded that they'd already paid, but the venues and caterer she had booked worked with her to push her date to next year, so hopefully the pandemic will allow a recommitment ceremony then. With luck she'll get the Big Event she'd been planning for over a year next May. That seemed reasonable when she pushed everything back, but I guess that ultimately means there will need to be a cure or vaccine before then. Time will tell.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»We attended a wedding yes...