weddings. blech.

I'm in a wedding at the end of the month. I have been in two weddings in the past three years, and I've been to several others. This one, however, takes the cake. I've never been involved in such a bizarre wedding. First there was the shower situation. I got an email from the bride's sister (maid-of-honor) in November asking us to save the date for the shower (March 17th - blah!). I sent an email back to her and the other three bridesmaids introducing myself and offering my assistance with planning, cooking, favor making, etc. I included my email address and phone number. I never heard from any of them. Weird.

Then, sometime in February I received an invitation to the shower. About a week later, I got another email from the maid-of-honor letting us know what her mother would be cooking, and asking if we could bring two dishes to the shower. She also wanted to know if we had ideas for shower games. Mind you, this was two weeks before the shower. I sent an email back to everyone saying what food I would bring, and offered my assistance yet again with decorations and preparation. The maid-of-honor emailed me back, but still nothing from the other bridesmaids.

(Just so you know, I got a chance to meet the bridesmaids at the shower, and they were all very delightful people. Apparently they're not big on email. I don't know.)
So here's my latest wedding gripe. The bride-to-be emailed all of the bridesmaids last night with some last minute wedding details. I found a few of them a bit... odd. At least compared to the other weddings I've been involved in.

First of all, the bride-to-be said that she and her sisters are getting their hair done at a salon near them. If we (the other bridesmaids) want to join them, it would be her treat. However, I'm assuming that if I chose to get my hair done elsewhere, I'd have to pay for it.

Then she said if we plan to get ready at our own homes, we should be at the church by 2:15 (wedding starts at 2:30). She also mentioned that the reception hall has valet parking. So does this mean there's no transportation? I have to drive myself to the wedding in my red satin ballgown and gold high heeled sandals? I've never been to a wedding that didn't provide transportation for the bridal party. I'm not sure if there's a parking lot at the church, or if I'll have to park on the street and walk (in my gold heels and strapless ballgown) to the church. God, I hope the weather is nice.

Also, she included the date for the bachelorette party, which is next weekend. This is the first I've heard about it, and I already have plans for that day. Now I have to rearrange my plans (which isn't a huge deal, but still...) so that I can be there for the bachelorette party. I have no idea what the plans are. The bridesmaids weren't involved in the planning of that, either.

And finally, in her email the bride-to-be mentioned that there would be no head table, so we would be sitting with our guests. I also found out that I am the only bridesmaid not bringing a guest. The maid-of-honor is married, and the other three bridesmaids are either dating or engaged to someone. Lovely.

Which brings me to my next complaint. If you're not dating someone, who do you bring to a wedding? I don't really have any male friends. Most of the guys I know are the boyfriends/fiances/husbands of my female friends. Ugh. This sucks.

So if you feel like going to a wedding on April 28, email me. All you have to do is show up for the reception in a suit and keep me company for a few hours. Free food and drinks!

And if you have any wedding horror stories to share, or you would like to comment on my complaints, feel free. (Come on, recent brides and brides-to-be... I know you wanna tell me what a bitch I'm being! Go for it!!!)