Wow, we’ve had a crazy busy week. One of my best friends is arriving at our house this afternoon with her two kids (ages 2 and 2 months) to stay until Thursday while her husband is out of town. I’m excited to see her, but I haven’t been to the grocery store yet, I have no idea what I’m making them for dinner, the house is less than clean, and I have to work at the library from 12:30 until 5pm (they will be getting here around 4, so they’ll be here when I get home from work).
I wanted to take an extra day off from the library while they’re here, but I’m trying to conserve as much paid vacation time as possible, so that I’ll have it when the baby is born. So instead of taking a vaca day, I traded with another employee; I worked her shift last Wednesday and I’ll work her short shift today, in trade for her working for me this coming Tuesday. So I’ve basically worked at my part time job 43 hours in the last week in order to only work 24 hours this week. It’s worth it to get the day off while my friend is here, but I feel like I haven’t gotten anything else done lately. Plus, we had my husband’s cousin’s wedding this weekend. Up until last Monday, we thought that all we had to do was show up at the church at 2pm yesterday and enjoy the day. But since my husband ended up being in the wedding party, we had the rehearsal dinner on Friday, and then we left the house at 8:15 yesterday morning in order for my husband to meet the rest of the wedding party for pictures and all the stuff they had to do before the wedding. I went along and hung out with my parents for a while, since they live near where the wedding was held. By the time we got home last night, it was after midnight, so it was a very long day. But we had a great time, and the wedding was beautiful – if that’s your kind of thing. We tend to think that all the hoopla is a bit silly, but everyone had a good time, so it went well.
It was a pretty expensive weekend, with the tux rental and the wedding gift, and gas money for driving back and forth from the rehearsal and wedding, but we don’t have weddings all that often – it looks like the next one will be in August – so I can’t complain. And it was really nice to see all of my husband’s family yesterday.
April says
I’ve read a few posts about your opinions on weddings, and I have to say I can’t relate. Sure, some people go overboard, but celebrating your marriage with family and friends who love you, many who have known you since the day you were born, doesn’t seem silly to me. I’m getting married in April, and I know I will treasure those memories and photographs forever.
From the time I was little, my favorite photos were of my parent’s wedding, and I’d like to pass my photos on to my children, as well. It’s part of your family history.
I seriously thought of eloping, but I’m glad I chose not to do it. But I don’t think people who do decide to elope are “silly.” To each their own.
FrugalBabe says
April,
It’s the hoopla that we think is silly, not the wedding itself. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having friends and family there for a wedding, but there is something wrong with spending $30,000 to do so. Especially when consumer debt is such a rampant problem in this country.
April says
But you have to pay for it somehow, unless you don’t plan to feed your guests. I agree that 30K is ridiculous, but in defense of brides everywhere, it is not always easy to cut costs. For example, sometimes the small wedding of my (er…people’s) dreams doesn’t work out when they fall for a guy with a BIG, close-knit family.
I do agree that it’s not smart to spend so much on a wedding that you come back from your honeymoon with a pile of debt, but I didn’t read anything to that effect about the wedding you went to, so I didn’t assume that consumer debt was taken on to pay for the wedding.