I went to approximately my 214th wedding over the past five years yesterday. So I believe I qualify as an expert on the matter. One thing I have noticed is that no matter how big the wedding or the location, there is one common thread: stressed out brides. I think I have recentlyidentified the reason for the stress as well. Clearly it is the judgment from other former or soon-to-be brides. Every single detail of the wedding and reception will be scrutinized and discussed over your selection of chicken or beef. And the bride knows this, because she also took part in this cycle.
My most recent reception table consisted of four couples who were all married at some point between one and five years ago. So we had a broad range of perspectives. Not necessarily interesting, but a broad range. Every time something happened with the wedding, there were four distinct stories that all started with "At my wedding...." Each of these stories had two elements 1) an embellished version of what actually happened and 2) a distinct separation identifying the prior wedding as superior to the current.
There were also four separate sets of males nodding and smiling with each story, which is also known as the marriage defense mechanism. All four of the guys were secretly planning their escape route to at least the bar, or maybe that was just me.
In the end, we all were at the same place, which was the open bar. The bride was drunk and didn't care as much anymore. She survived, and now gets to just be the judgmental and not the judged. The chocolate bar was a nice touch that can be used in her future "At my wedding" stories.
