With weddings in the news (and who among you didn’t watch the recent Royal Wedding?) we have some suggestions of what not to do when planning one of your own. There are perils to be avoided far worse than gospel preachers.
As an owl-fancier Gert was drawn to this dramatic tale of a feral owl at a wedding. They do advise actors not to work with animals or children*, and that’s good advice for weddings too. You could probably get away with a sheep: there’s less potential for bodily injury to your guests, but it doesn’t have quite the cachet of an owl. In Australia, a wombat would make a nice addition to a wedding, but kangaroos and emus should be avoided if at all possible.
As for the other silly wedding ideas the article lists, one of the most annoying is the wedding held a long way away in a place you’ve never wanted to go. A hilarious twist on this that I don’t think anyone has thought of yet is that when you get there, all 200 of you, you find the bride and groom aren’t there. They had a registry office wedding and went off by themselves to an island. Now that’s a wedding everyone would remember. What a hoot! (no owls intended)
*As W.C. Fields said of women and elephants, nice to look at but I wouldn’t wanna own one.
Images: Wikimedia Commons
Gert Loveday's Fun with Books 
Makes me want to start over and take advantage of all of those missed opportunities. Don’t think I could persuade Jim, however.
I don’t know, he seems very taken with you. I am sure you could persuade him to renew your vows in a special ceremony involving fire and dancing in some inaccessible location.
Well, OK. If it involves Melbourne and beaches, maybe he’d go for it.
Perhaps at Red Johanna or Blue Johanna down the Great Ocean Road.
As Bugwoman i have a particular dislike of the fad of releasing clouds of (usually non-native) butterflies, which subsequently starve or freeze to death. A wonderful way to celebrate the nuptials….
I quite agree and other fads like doves and balloons at funerals are almost as bad.
I would “Like” this comment, except that the “Like” button seems to have disappeared.
No still there at the bottom of the post for an overall non specific like. So if you’re happy with that, like away!
I thought the purpose of those destination weddings was to limit the numbers.
Leslie
Yes itputs the cost on to the guests rather than the marriagees
I do like “marriagees.”
Our invention, but I do prefer the long-winded French way of describing those who are about to get married, ‘Ils se lancent dans la vie conjugale’, with its suggestion of throwing oneself.
“They embark on married life?” — sound as if it’s trailing a whole host of gifts, thank you notes, and obligations, along with some eye-opening initiations into arguments about dishes and dinner invitations.
But broader and more generous than ‘getting hitched’ or ‘tying the knot’ surely.
Oh yes! Those two don’t offer nearly as many interesting opportunities and adventures.
I didn’t watch it.
Somehow I didnt think it would be your cup of tea
That’s putting it mildly.
But you did miss seeing David Beckham chewing gum in church next to a very po faced Posh Spice
Guess I need to go watch that!
Not a tragic loss.
It seemed amusing at the time