One of the best weddings I can think of in recent memory was the one I wasn’t invited to. My friend Marc eloped with his girlfriend Pam last fall in Hawaii.
They were planning on having a small wedding in New England but it was spiraling out of control. Marc and Pam were just starting out and were going to pay for the wedding themselves. Despite the fact she wasn’t chipping in, Marc’s mother had a guest list of over 80 people. When asked to cut the list down, Marc’s mom said “that’s as short as I can make it. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.”
Now, it’s important to note that Marc is a nice Jewish boy who’s last name ends in STEIN. It was written that he one day would be married by a rabbi for fear that it would either kill his mother or his mother would kill him.
Without being asked, Pam began exploring the Jewish faith and eventually converted from Christianity to Judaism.
Despite giving up salvation from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Marc’s mom still put Pam and her family under pressure to fork up more cash for the extra long guest list.
“I gave up Christ for your son. Could you give up inviting the canasta club?” Pam asked.
The answer was no.
To the disappointment of Marc’s mom and the Westport Canasta Club, Marc and Pam took the $8 grand they were going to spend on a reception and spent it on plane tickets to Hawaii and a nice digital camera. They got married by a rabbi, had an amazing time, and took some incredible photos.
They quietly sent out some pictures and some announcements. They decided not to burden their friends with registries or any other socially acceptable means of panhandling.
Since they didn’t ask for gifts, I will give them what no one else could give them. A four star review on IHateWeddings.com