Author: Christine

My maid of honor, Chelsey, is getting married the first weekend of September. (And I’m her maid/matron of honor – how is that for confusing?) As her RSVPs roll in, I am reminded of basic wedding ettiquette that I really need to share:

– Read the envelope. If the invitation is addressed to just Bob & Sue, that means that just Bob & Sue are invited. That does NOT mean that Bob & Sue’s children are invited. Especially not Bob & Sue’s children that are grown, married, and living on their own. If they are invited, they will get their own invitation.

– Sometimes the bride & groom don’t want children (especially young children) at their wedding. They fuss, they get edgy, and let’s face it – they horde all the attention. If they kids are not invited, don’t stop your feet and pout. All you will manage to do is stress the bride & groom out. Find a sitter. Don’t complain.

– Is there a reception after the wedding? If you RSVP that you are attending and then you have to back out, CALL the bride & groom. Let them know. Why? You are costing them money. Sometimes $40 – $50 per head. Yes, they love you and they were willing to spend that much to have you as their guest. If you don’t bother to tell them that you are not going to show up, they pay that money – whether you are there or not. Most places require a final head count approximately 72 hours before the event. If you know, call. Save them the money. (Obviously, if you are suddenly ill or have a similar emergency, you can’t attend. That’s cool. This tip only applies if you know in advance that you won’t be there.)

– Speaking of sick people – if you are ill, don’t attend. Really. I’ve heard horror stories of couples ending up terribly ill throughout their entire honeymoon because of a guest that just couldn’t stand to miss their wedding. No one needs the cooties – stay home. Yeah, it sucks. However, I am sure they will gladly share the pictures with you later. Help keep everyone healthy; don’t give the special gift of your bug.

– Send back the RSVP card, no matter what. There is a stamp on the card. All you have to do is fill in your name. They need the information, send it. Even if it’s after the RSVP date. Most people put that far enough in advance so that if some cards come in late, it’s ok. If you lose the card, send a note, an e-mail, or make a phone call. Just let them know. These people think highly enough of you to invite you, show them that you care about them. (I personally am guilty of not RSVP’ing. If I have done this to you, I’m truly sorry. I have learned my lesson about what headaches this can cause.)

I think that about covers it. Feel free to share any additional advice you might have – or horror stories about your own wedding RSVPs!

A week or so ago, Emily shared the story about how KW lost his big toenail. I got all hee-bee jeebie over it; just thinking about it made my stomach turn.

So what do I go and do to myself when I was in Minnesota? You guessed it. I took off a chunk of my own toenail. I stubbed my toe on a dresser, swore and hopped around, and then went to bed. In the morning, I noticed that I had messed up my toenail polish. Damn. It’s summer time, I like to have pretty toes.

It wasn’t until Saturday that I realized I didn’t just mess up the nailpolish – I actually ripped off a quarter of my toenail. But I didn’t rip it all the way off – it’s still stuck on on the left side. It hurts when I touch it, or when I use peroxide to rinse it out or Neosporin to keep it clean. Otherwise, it’s ok. But my poor toenail just isn’t pretty, and it’s ruining the overall summer look for me.

Now I just have to get the courage to rip it off the rest of the way. *shiver*

We made it to Minnesota relatively event free. I slept almost the entire plane ride, making up for the lost sleep from the night before. I felt SO much better by the time we landed! Once we gathered our luggage and went to the rental car stand, we headed to my Aunt Carol & Uncle Bob’s house to pick up Jason from my parents. Completely lucked out that my cousin Debra was there with her baby! That was great because I didn’t know if I would get to see them while we were up here. The Rockstarz Limo & Party bus are going to be the sole company you ever use once you book our limo services. we offer limo transportation for all of the services listed below and more! A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car that is made of a lengthened base wheel and driven by a chauffeur. These are also commonly called stretch limousines and they traditionally come in black and white colors. Limousines are most commonly linked with affluent people, because they are costly to purchase. However, today people can charter limousines for various events, such as prom and weddings. These days, one of the most widespread uses of these cars is airport pick-up and transportation services. This industry is called ‘airport limousine services.’ Anyone who needs transportation to and/or from the airport can reserve this service. It has become very inexpensive for most people, and it is a very expedient way to travel.

We left there and went to meet Wendy at the Mall of America. I hadn’t really warned Mike about the mall, so he was pretty surprised when he discovered that there is a whole amusement park in the mall. We’re going to try to make it back down there this weekend, and I am going to finally ride one of the roller coasters. Indoors. How cool is that? Dinner with Wendy was absolutely fabulous, even though I was still tired and punchy. I’m so glad we got to meet up.

Today was a rather low key day. We decided to just stay in Forest Lake, spending time catching up with relatives throughout the day. Tonight we all went out to eat and then over to my Aunt Marge & Uncle Ron’s house in Wyoming. (Just down the road from Forest Lake.) It was nice to have a chance to visit with my cousin, Jeanette, before they head back to Ohio tomorrow.

Now I am especially thankful that I switched to WP before I left … I am on a dial-up connection at my Aunt Marie’s house. I have had a cable modem since 2001; I forgot what a modem sounded like. I had to call Mike in to the room so he could hear it too. Ah, the memories.

The weather is great, the scenery is gorgeous and the company is simply fabulous. Don’t you wish you were here?