Thinking about weddings

I went to a perfectly beautiful wedding this weekend. I'm sure there were some behind the scenes moments when things didn't seem to go too well, but from a guest perspective, I think it was the most perfect wedding I've ever been to. Part of what made it perfect was that it was so uniquely them. No one else would've had their wedding quite the same - the personal touches were just so distinctly theirs that it felt like the day totally belonged to them.

Now, my perception might come from my actually quite limited experience with weddings. Not that I haven't been to many, but more because I feel like I've been to the same one several times. I come from a really large extended family (50+ aunts, uncles & cousins) on each side, and that doesn't include all those people that my cousins have married. Our family gatherings are pretty big - which is why they only take place every four years on my dad's side of the family, and every three to five years on my mom's. (My dad's family is pretty religious about following an Olympic-type schedule, whereas in my mom's family, no one has ever taken on the responsibility of making it regular, so it happens whenever it happens)

Thing is, both families closely adhere to our (their? not sure how I should reference this since I no longer practice) religion, so every wedding ceremony script sounds the same. The music is the same. The reception is the same. The food's the same. The jokes are the same. It was like going to the same wedding over and over again. As a child, I didn't realize that weddings could actually be any different. And the first secular wedding I ever attended was my own!

So I enjoyed and am very glad to have been invited to their wedding this weekend. From the readings to the song they chose for the first dance, it was all theirs.

Congratulations guys!