Published: June 03, 2009 11:46 pm      

Mark Maynard: Learning the 'new' wedding traditions: 6/4/09

There’s no turning back now. The Wedding is a mere 51 days away. Not that I’m counting.

It’s funny how “traditions” have changed since my wife and I were married in 1981. We had a big church wedding, but it’s nothing like the weddings of today. The wedding ceremony hasn’t changed much but the before and after events sure are different.

For instance, a couple of weeks back, I mailed a stack of “save-the-date” cards to friends and family. It’s something that tells the date and time of Derrick and Sally’s wedding, something you can put on the fridge next to the pizza magnets or the 10-year-old coloring-book sheet that was never taken down.

Some creative ad guru came up with that idea, I’m sure. It was essentially a way to double the wedding invitations. You don’t have to do the “save-the-date” cards but most do these days. It’s part of the new “tradition.”

The postcard wasn’t as proper as a wedding invitation and didn’t have quite as much information. Also, being a postcard, it wasn’t as expensive in postage (not that I’m counting the price of stamps as one of the big expenses, either).

But I had the honor of putting the “save-the-date” cards in the mailbox. I knew once they dropped, it’s game on —not that there was ever a doubt it wasn’t. But I admit there was some finality associated with dropping those cards in the mailbox at the post office.

Now, with about 50 days until the wedding, other things have and are happening.

She had her shower at church last week and was showered with some amazing presents from generous dear friends and family. We’re truly blessed to have such good people around us within our own family circle and at church.

Derrick and Sally are definitely well-stocked for the start of their lives together later next month, and my Wedding War Room, the place that used to be the front room to our house, is filling up even more.

The other “tradition” that changed at some point was feeding the guests who come to the wedding with more than peanuts, mints, wedding cake and punch.

Now, you have to really feed the guests.

When we were married, that wasn’t expected and only done at the most elite of weddings. I’m not sure when that changed either, where practically every wedding has some good food to follow, but that’s where we’re at today.

That’s OK with me, because I like to eat, too. But it does raise the pricetag on the wedding.

And if you’re a wedding purist, I’m sure we’ll have the mints and nuts, too.

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.