typealice

We’re planning a small wedding. I’ve made our guest list into a spreadsheet, and there are 34 lines, and generally about two people per line. Most of the people on our invitation we do not expect to come. A lot of the people we’re inviting simply because we feel we have to (a lot of Clive’s family, for example). The friends that we’re inviting are those that are, or have been, very important to us, and even a lot of them we don’t expect to be able to come. Nova Scotia is far away for a lot of people and going to a wedding can be very expensive, and well, unless you plan on vacationing in NS before or after our wedding, it might not be worth it.

Our wedding will be fun! Emphasis is being placed on fun! more than romantic, actually. So, if you are invited, I do recommend you come- especially if you like the idea of camping for free in the empty lot beside the cottage we’re renting.

I am not inviting my aunt and uncle on my mother’s side. I am, however, inviting my grandparents. This part is the tricky part: My aunt lives with my grandparents. She’s actually never left home. She’s 50ish and works at Zellers and (sorry mom, even though I know you agree), is a bit of a loser. I do like her, despite her being a bit odd, but she’s socially awkward and uncomfortable to be around. I still do not know how I’m going to invite my grandparents but not her. I do not want to invite my uncle and his wife because they’re even more socially awkward and I’ve had no relationship with them, well, ever, and my uncle is (embarassingly) missing several teeth and I don’t… I just don’t want them there for a multitude of reasons.

My mom threw a “Welcome Ash!” party when he was two weeks old and all of my awkward family attended that, and it was SO. VERY. UNCOMFORTABLE. I just don’t really want them around. I said it. I’m sorry. I feel like a horrible person. But this is our wedding day and I want to have fun, and being uncomfortable doesn’t equal a whole lot of fun.

I had someone the other day write on my Facebook wall that she hoped I wasn’t getting married before she comes back to Nova Scotia because otherwise she couldn’t “crash my wedding.” Um, sorry? I haven’t seen you since high school and I used to like you quite a lot back then but we haven’t exactly kept in touch so, well, you’re not invited. I guess that’s the meaning of “crashing,” but it really would be like crashing because I haven’t seen her in ten years. But how do I say, “Please don’t crash my wedding. If I wanted you there, you’d be invited.”

Now, I’m all for reuniting before the wedding and IF we get along really well and she turns out to be a great friend and we hang out all the time and she likes Clive and loves Ash, of course I’ll invite her to the wedding. But right now, it’s invite only and those invites are VERY hard to come by. She did send me a bunch of fabric so I can make slings, which is awesome and totally appreciated and unexpected, so we’re on our way to being friends again, but who knows.

But I’m really being picky with who I invite partially because of money (I want to meet my $2500-$3000 budget) and partially because of space at the location and partially just because that’s the kind of wedding I want to have. I don’t like huge weddings. They make me uncomfortable, especially- I am only imagining here- if I’m hosting it.

My friend Geoff got married last summer and I only got to see him for a few minutes because it was His Wedding, and duh, he can’t spend hours catching up with me like I REALLY wanted to, and I was so sad! We hadn’t seen each other since The Gambia and I longed for just one single hour to say, “dude! Remember when!?” and all of that good stuff. Maybe if he comes to my wedding we’ll have that chance.

Please don’t be offended if you’re not invited. Unless you’re my aunt and uncle and then you have all the right in the world to be offended. Sorry.