OT need advice for my neighbor

You can't make up anything anymore. The world itself is a satire. All you're doing is recording it. [info][add][mail][note] Art Buchwald (1925 - 2007)

What makes a priest anyway ? What is a STRONG priest ? I could start a church of Ralph and make myself a priest in that church. There may be a way to check if he has the offical credentials from the town that allows him to sign the paperwork that states the couple are married by law.

The wife an I got married over 40 years ago by some woman in a government office. Must have taken as that was over 40 years ago and still are.

If I really wanted to make sure, I would just pick up the phone and call the Pope at the Vadican and ask him about the man :-)

On Sat, 12 Jun 2021 16:55:26 -0400, Ralph Mowery posted for all of us to digest...

Right o, don't forget your $$$

?You?re going to have such a great marriage, at a tiny fraction of the cost - and it?s going to be so easy.?

Oh...wait...that's health care. Never mind.

What difference does it make? If God is happy with Father Ninja and they bought a marriage permit from the local government, pot's right. The only legal issue is the happy couple signing the marriage license and maybe having it notarized (Florida law YMMV somewhere else). The ceremony is just hocus pocus to keep the parents happy.

Whoosh on most your response and WTF on your last sentence.

The ceremony is really so many people can make money off of it. Just think how many are getting paid for a wedding that is done by many people's standards. Big money for the bride's dress, money for the others like best man. Catering for all the food.

Like I said, hocus pocus to keep the parents happy. They are usually the ones who pay. Filling out the license and turning it in, properly signed/notarized is what makes it a marriage in the eyes of the law. (just like titling a car). We were married by the notary who worked at the hotel we were staying at. Everything else is just a side show.

umm...aren't you describing the *reception*, not the ceremony?

Are you talking about the ceremony or the reception?

That was the ceremony.

I just went to a wedding on Friday night. The bride and groom paid for almost everything: The hamburgers, the hot dogs and the fee to the county for the park lodge. I say "almost everything" because the guests brought their own drinks and a dish for the buffet line. Man, there was a lot of really good food!

I guess the ceremony itself was indeed to keep the parents happy, since the groom was the father of the women who officiated and the bride became her step-mother. They sure looked happy before, during and after the ceremony.

That's how my wedding was, except we had a whole roast pig (the wedding gift from the groom's brothers) instead of burgers and dogs. We provided beer and non-alcoholic beverages. Everybody brought a side dish. A big bowl of fresh strawberries instead of wedding cake.

Cindy Hamilton

I married my wife a couple of times. The ceremony was at the beach with the family. The guys at work chipped in and bought Sonny's BBQ and a keg of beer. It was boat in only. No legal papers changed hands so it was just that, a big show for all of the parents. Later we bought a permit and got it notarized down in the Keys.

That sounds nice.

Although there are exceptions to every rule, it seems like it's the first-time brides who were mainly raised on Disney princess cartoons who dream of the "perfect" wedding.

Even my first wedding was simple and relatively inexpensive. I made my own dress both times.

Cindy Hamilton

Sort of describing the whole wedding package. The wedding dress and outfits for the bride's maids and all the men is in the ceremony. Got to have lots of flours. Did not even mention the pictures of the wedding. Then there is a meal after the rehearsal. I know I am leaving out many other things in the 'package'. It is easy to spend a few thousand on even a simple wedding.

My best man's daughter is getting married in Cancún. I plan to be busy that weekend.

I usually don't give wedding gifts. I ask the couple what their favorite charity or cause is and I make a donation in their name. I do the same in lieu of funeral flowers, although most families already request that these days.

Ordination used to be free here but now it is $49.

I just heard a good one about a guy going to Florida to get married and the guys bought him a wedding bathing suit.

He wore it and jumped into the surf and all the stitches in the bathing suit dissolved.

Let the honeymoon begin.

There was a Seinfeld episode about making a donation in lieu of giving an actual gift. George Costanza was not amused when it happened to him. I don't think it's a bad idea, though.