three posts in one week, new record! i really wanted to go buffalo wild wings tonight to watch the packers' game and eat some delicious parmesan garlic wings, but seeing that my husband is out of town, i am resigned to sitting at home eating frozen lasagna and blogging. i thought about calling some girl friends to see if anyone wanted to join me at bdubs, but then decided to spare the rejection by admitting to myself that none of my girlfriends enjoy watching football. thought about calling my girlfriends to see if they wanted to do something else, but realized that i would rather watch football by myself than socialize and miss the game. it crossed my mind to call some of james' friends to see if anyone wanted to go out, but thought that might be a little weird. finally contemplated getting wings to go, but realized that if i drove all the way there i would want to stay and watch the game on the big screen and i would be all by myself, so here i am.
on saturday night i went to one of my favorite weddings of all time--jenny and jesse loyd's. my favorite part was the incredible potato bar. wish i would've taken pictures, but in the center of the ballroom guests were invited to grab a martini glass from the huge glass tower and fill it with mashed potatoes and toppings of their desire. i loaded mine with cheese, bacon, chives, and sour cream--so delicious and such a cute idea! the dinner and dancing were fabulous as well, and it was fun to see a lot of camp friends who i haven't seen in a while. oh and they had two photobooths, which i did with brittney and my mom since james is in wisconsin. i'm sure their wedding was pretty expensive, but i thought it was a nice treat for all of the guests. sometimes i get so frustrated with people when they brag about how cheap their weddings/receptions are. i'm all about being frugal, but having a nice reception is more of a gift to guests than anything else.
speaking of gifts, i've developed a new subconscious system for determining how nice of a gift to give another couple tying the knot. the following factors all play a role:
1. how close of friends/family they are
2. what they gave us for our wedding
3. how nice of a wedding/reception they are having
4. how many times they've rudely mentioned gifts and where they are registered
#4 kills me. i went to a wedding where the couple mentioned where they were registered at least 3 times and how much they were looking forward to getting all of the wedding gifts. it frustrated me so much that i almost did not get them a gift, especially since they had a very low-budget reception and did not give us a gift for our wedding. however, my conscience got to me and i made a pact to myself that even if i feel like a couple's behavior does not merit a gift, that is not what the spirit of giving is all about. i know there are other factors that play into weddings and often a couple does not have a large budget to work with, but if that is the case, then they should work extra hard to make the event entertaining for the guests or not expect as nice of a present. this might be the most twisted gift-giving philosophy ever, but it works for me.
at our wedding, the gift-giving was similar to church tithing in that a small percentage of the people gave a majority of the gifts (actually not really a small percentage--probably 1/2-3/4 of the guests gave gifts, but it still surprises me how many people think their presence is enough of a gift). we are very thankful and were blessed beyond what we deserve, but it was humbling to look through my spreadsheet of thank yous and realize that many of the couples who gave us pricey wedding gifts also gave us generous shower presents and now are buying even more gifts for our baby. a special shoutout to some of my bridesmaids who not only bought gifts for the wedding and lingerie for the bridal shower, but also gave james and me a fabulous spa package. thank you erin, sarah and megan!!! i love you, and you will be rewarded when your weddings come in time :).
it's almost time for kickoff. happy thanksgiving to everyone if i do not talk to you before then!!!
7 comments:
Just so you know, you're not alone. My husband leads worship band practice on Monday nights, and I park myself in the living room and watch football by myself, every week. :)
So happy for you guys! I'm looking forward to reading about all the exciting changes on your horizon! (If we're both reading each other's blogs, that means that neither of us is a creepy blog stalker, right?)
ok, your gift giving comments cracked me up! I've thought about registering for graduation. I will probably register at target, bed bath and beyond, and of course Walmart. I will probably register at target, bed bath and beyond, and of course Walmart. I will probably register at target, bed bath and beyond, and of course Walmart.
Just kidding!
Nick is gone a lot too with evening classes. Sometimes its really nice to just relax around the apartment by myself, other times I just want to go do something!
Sometimes I feel really guilty about spending money on the wedding. Just thinking about how much we're spending sometimes I'm tempted just to elope and donate the money, or just save it! Then I remember that for couples for our wedding, not only have to pay for airfare, but hotel rooms as well (which aren't that cheap in SB). If people are spending so much money just to come share the day with me, the least that we can do is to show them a good time. So our whole goal of wedding planning has been to spend money on things that will make the wedding more enjoyable for everyone instead of fancy table cloths and epensive clothing or jewerly.
Anyway, I would have watched football with you. I've learned to love it with Cam! Too bad you live so far away!
You do kind of have a twisted gift philosophy, but I applaud your conviction. I always wish I could give more to couples getting married, but I also am in grad school and have very limited funds. However, I always make an effort to pray for the couple once a week, which to me is the best gift of all - better than any material or monetary blessing.
I recently went to a friend's wedding in Orlando and did not give them an additional gift besides one at her shower. I had already spent quite a bit on airfare & car, and figured my presence would be a gift enough. :) In addition, the guy was a bit older and well-established, and my friend was pretty solid financially. I guess it depends on the couple as well.
I tagged you! Check out my blog page to see what you have to do!
I was going to write something about wedding and shower gifts, but then I realized I am the WORST thank-you note writer in the world, so I probably should remain silent on the subject!! (Oh, and I would totally rather watch football than gab. Love football.)
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