I have been to some nice ones and some boring ones, it really depends on the couple and what they can afford.
Were you married at the Kingdom Hall ? How bad was your wedding reception ?
by run dont walk 61 Replies latest jw friends
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amac
In California, it was rare to go to a wedding that didn't have a DJ or band and alcohol was probably 50/50. I have been to many worldly weddings as well, and they were by no means any "funner."
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JeffT
We got married at the Hall, and it wasn't to bad. It was 1974 and maybe the rules were a little looser but the elder gave a talk that didn't sound like a lecture. We had a lot of fun at the reception, which was no alcohol by our choice (my wife had an alcoholic relative and we didn't want to tempt him). We're still going strong, I think the end result is the important part.
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nilfun
I remember one wedding where the elder giving the "wedding talk" went on and on about how the happy couple should not have sex during her period. He just would not shut up about "that time of the month". I know the bride wanted to reach out and strangle him.
Good times...good times, LoL.
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asleif_dufansdottir
Well, neither we nor our families were JWs when we got married (no one from either family ever became a JW, thank God)...but our wedding reception wasn't that thrilling, I guess. We were country folks so we weren't that snazzy. Our wedding was simple and inexpensive but huge (almost the entire population of 2 little towns came to it, we were in the receiving line for over 2 hours!!).
It was in July (our 21st anniversary is 2 weeks from today), and so my bridesmaid's dresses were made of pretty cotton eyelet, and were long but sleeveless and had simple scooped necks.
Our biggest expense was probably silk flowers (the nearest real florist was probably 30 miles away), but they were nicely done.
The photographers were the best in the area, but their son had introduced us and was the best man, so we paid them a fraction of what it normally cost to have them do a wedding.
Our reception was in the church basement and there was no music or dancing at all. No meal either...just cake and punch and mints and nuts. And no alcohol (not allowed in the church). Not even champagne for the bride and groom. We shoulda broke that rule, hubby's still p*ssed about that.
Then we took off for almost a month-long honeymoon. Not that that was expensive or thrilling...we got a tent and drove to the world's fair and to visit friends. (whoopie)
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happyout
My sisters were both married in a KH, and their weddings were loads of fun. The talks were personalized (at least from what I remember) and weren't overly long. The receptions were at halls, the food was great, and there was dancing.
I got married at a civic auditorium, in an atrium. It was beautiful, marred only by my family's inability to participate. Since I was marrying a "worldy" guy, and a baptist minister was performing the ceremony, they were not "allowed" to participate. Unfortunately, they did not know this until about a month before the wedding, when an elder in one sister's congregation told them her husband would be deleted as an elder for allowing his wife to participate in a baptist wedding. It was horrible, I cried for days and days, but in the end it worked out ok. They were there, they supported me, and we had a really good time.
There was no alcohol at any of the weddings, only because we have relatives with severe drinking problems, and did not want to have to call the police to break up the ensuing fights. No exaggeration, it has happened at many family gatherings.
I have been to a lot of other JW weddings, and always had fun. I wonder if it's a regional thing? In So. Cal, there was always dancing.
Happyout
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Austrian
My whole family has drinking problems..... My wifes side are Austrians and my side are Irish....No alcohol at the wedding would have been a sin against the holy spirit...
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LongHauler
If you think JW weddings are bad, I highly suggest skipping JW funerals. My grandfather passed away a little over a year ago, and frankly I'm still pissed at the spectacle I was forced to be a part of.
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Ravyn
OT-- what's with this glut of Newbies who think they can change history by coming in here and telling all of us how great being a JW is/was? Methinks I smell a conspiracy---not to worry tho, they are obviously amateurs.
Ravyn
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ashitaka
My wife and I eloped. It was fantastic. No JW giving the talk, just us, and about thirty of our co-conspirators!
We had left a note for my wife's parents while they were on vacation. We had planned it so that NO ONE would knew that we were up to something. When they arrived home, they were curtly informed by that note that we were getting married, and that they were not invited! HELL YEAH! That's what you get for being assholes! :)
The reception was at my parent's house, and we got a great cake, my wife borrowed a beautiful wedding dress (which we later bought), we had a fantastic photographer, with all of the people there who truly believed in our relationship. Can't say it could've been any better. We danced to one song--"If you could feel my love" --Bob Dylan.
That day was joy personfied.
We did it our way, told the stuff-shirts to shove it where the sun don't go, excluded those who tortured us, and embraced those who stuck their necks out for us. And none of it was tainted by Kingdom hall garbage or antics. Wonderful.
ash