I really think that one of the best things about getting married is that it gives your friends and family an unambiguous opportunity to let you know where they stand in your life. If there are buried conflicts, they won’t stay buried long into the engagement. Jealousies, rivalries, bitternesses – at some point between rings, they’ll all bubble to the surface. Likewise, the love and generosity and caring and sincere good wishes also come to the forefront. By the time you actually walk down the aisle, you will know – without the slightest doubt – how (or if) each person in your life wishes to play a role in your new one. In a way, it lets you start things off with a clean slate.
We’ve received about 120 of almost 200 RSVPs. That’s mostly Kristi’s friends and family; we knew early on that the Florida wedding contingent would be pretty small, just my brother and a few close friends. Most of the ones we received arrived shortly after we sent out the invitations – the ones still outstanding now are either close calls or folks we didn’t really expect to be able to come. We’re already very happy with the return, though we’ll be a bit happier at 150.
I think the ones we’re most looking forward to are the ones coming from far away. We know that many of our long distance friends and relatives can’t make it due to scheduling or cost issues. But when we hear that someone from England or Florida will be here, it’s nothing but wide goofy grins around here. Just the other day we learned that Kristi’s friends Anne and Jamie are coming from London. My friends Em and Jason, as well as my brother Chris, are coming from Florida. We’ve both been kind of walking around here idly chatting about really missing old friends and really looking forward to seeing them again.
It’s about four weeks now. In less than a month, we’ll be married. Ready, ready, ready.
Special News: Our good friend Jenny had her first child – a little girl – a few days ago! Both mother and child are in good health, and we’re told that the whole family is happy and doing great. Congratulations Jen and Matias!