Not a “happy song” but daughter and I danced to Rod Stewart’s, Have I Told You Lately That I Love You. I lost it and cried like a baby.
I would skip the sappy lyrics sure to make you Cry. Look towards popular classic songs or a trendy, upbeat song that is current. Does not have to have lyrics. A classical music song would fit well at a more formal wedding.
Attended a wedding where Mother/son danced to Sound of Music. They chose the song where Maria danced with the Captain at a party.
Also note you can have a song shortened, to minimize the agony of having everyone stare at you. Or have the bride/father join in after 30-45 seconds.
I think I need to take my DH for ballroom dance lessons before May. It will save a LOT of feet from being trampled!
When S got married, DIL & her dad danced to the first half of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” and then S & I joined in. I think I was more comfortable with two couples dancing at the same time and it allowed the expected activities to progress more quickly so that “real dancing” could commence:)
The last time we tried to take dance lessons half the individual session was taken up with my husband fixing the guy’s computer! Then they had us come to a Group lesson and single women grabbed my DH. I came there to learn to dance with him- not with women taking the male role or some stranger. We never went back.
My DIL’s parents are long divorced and although he was at the wedding and is now part of her life, there were many years when he was not, so she did not want a father-daughter dance, and thus no mother-son dance, either. If I am being honest, I was a little disappointed, but I had plenty of opportunities to dance with my son during the evening.
And who cares if you cry…that’s your baby boy who will, by then, be a married man! I smiled through tears all during the ceremony, and we were standing under the chuppah with the couple for all to see.
Our DS is getting married in May to a wonderful woman. They live in the central part of the country. We live on one coast as does the rest of my and my wife’s family. The brides parents and family are on the opposite coast.
The maid of honor and the brides family held a bridal shower at the bride’s parents home. My wife was invited and attended flying a total of 9,000 miles over a weekend. She had a great time and we get along very well with the bride’s family. No issues there.
My wife is thinking that she would like our side of the family to throw a shower but the bride does not have any additional vacation time this year to come to us and is saving her time in 2018 for the wedding.
Has anyone encountered this? Is it customary for the groom’s family to hold a bridal shower? If so, do we do a virtual shower? We’ve never been down this road.
I should add that the wedding will be sort a destination wedding in that the couple picked a location that is sort of half way for both families. My wife’s side of the family is not at all wealthy and it will be a considerable expense for them to attend. This is not an issue for the bride’s family.
@Iron Maiden, might I suggest a recipe shower from the groom’s side.
Have the host purchase a recipe box with matching cards and send 1 or 2 to each of the ‘guests’. Ask them to include family favorites and return by a certain date. When I did this, I included self-addressed stamped envelopes.
@“Iron Maiden” @mominva recipe shower is a great idea! Another idea is a Christmas ornament shower (if the couple celebrates the holiday). Ornaments can be purchased at a variety of price points and are small enough to mail easily. The couple will remember the friends and family each year as they decorate their tree.
Those are both great ideas - thank you!
My son’s fiance had a shower in her hometown 230 miles away. The wedding is in another town 200 miles away. No one in my son’s hometown has offered to host a shower, and it is my understanding that it is not proper etiquette for an immediate family member to host the shower. So, we have tossed around an idea to have a local reception after the wedding to introduce the bride and groom here. The problem is they are getting married in November and, with the upcoming holidays, we are running out of time to plan it.
We are trying to deal,with the shower situation. The bride is in school full time with NO vacation time until the week before the wedding in May. Family is all over the country…but not here…not where DD lives…not where the bridesmaids live.
Logistically it just is not going to work. DD is 29 and has some nice cookbooks, as well as my family recipes. A recipe shower might be sort of fun…but not something she needs. Reality…she just goes online to find most recipes anyway.
She has a full apartment with really nice things in it (think…All Clad pans, and Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn dishes).
We really can’t ask the family and attendants, all of whom are traveling at some expense for the wedding, to come here another time for a shower. It’s just not financially reasonable. Airfares, hotels, etc.
I suppose I could host a shower with my Stone Age local friends over Christmas…but really…that’s an awful week for a shower…and no one else would be able to come.
So…we are thinking…no shower…at all.
we aren’t doing a shower for my D. There just isn’t anyone to invite. Most of her friends are away, and we have no extended family or family friends.
The groom’s side is going to throw D1 a shower over Thanksgiving, that’s when the whole family traditionally get together. D2, as maid of honor, is going to throw a shower for her sister in the spring, which means I am paying for it. I think it is customary for someone in the groom’s family to throw a shower/party to introduce the bride to the family.
I didn’t think there would be any showers for my DIL, but her mom’s friends threw her a small one in NYC, and two of my friends hosted a small shower at my home. The B did not need/want any more gifts (these showers were during the month before the wedding) and therefore, in lieu of gifts, all hosts asked for donations to a scholarship fund in memory of the B’s grandmother, should anyone feel it necessary to provide a gift. A few of her bridesmaids attended each, and some of my H’s family attended the one at our house. To be honest, I think everyone could have lived without either of them.
I have attended showers just two to seven days before weddings because that was when the bride was available and when they were scheduled. It worked fine and everyone who attended was happy!
I’m back from my five-day wedding weekend, and I’m wiped out. It was fabulous, but required a lot of entertaining on my, MOG’s, part.
We started with having the bride and groom (S1), DH and myself (FOG and MOG), MOB and FOB, and one of bride’s brothers (BOB) here for dinner on Wednesday. I had cooked everything and frozen it weeks in advance so it was relatively easy. Thursday evening was the “cookout” that bride and groom said they’d handle – it turned out to be easier for them just to get pizza, which was fine with me. We had MOG, FOG, MOB, FOB, BOB, bride, groom, matron of honor, her husband, her mother, and her three-year-old here.
On Friday, we had an actual rehearsal at the venue and then went straight to the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner for 24, followed by cocktails for 38. Of course MOG and FOG handled and paid for that. It was excellent, went without a hitch, and I wholeheartedly recommend the restaurant for anyone’s event in CT! The only slight snag was that some of my relatives flying from CA had travel difficulties and didn’t get in until later than anticipated.
Saturday was hair and makeup for all the ladies. Once I got myself “done,” at 8:30 in the morning, I went home and picked up dog poop in the back yard (in full makeup) and then took a little nap (crushing my hair a tad in the process). Oh well. We went for pictures at 2:00, and the ceremony started on time at 4:00. The wedding was absolutely, positively one of the best I’ve ever been to – and I’m not just saying that because it was my son’s! The ceremony was fabulous – S1’s best friend became ordained by the Universal Life Church (apparently anyone can do this!) and gave a wonderful, heartwarming, funny, charming 25-minute chat about my son and the bride. People clapped in the middle of it at something particularly fabulous. I wish I had a recording, or at least his script! (I’ll probably be able to get the latter.)
Then, the reception. It was very relaxed, very comfortable, and I got to see all of son’s old friends from HS and college, as well as meet his first boss from 10+ years ago who got son started in his chosen career. The food was great, the decorations wonderful (bride’s aunt had made them all), and the DJ fantastic. Best moment for me: When I was standing by the side of the dance floor, clapping and laughing, and two of son’s HS friends came up to me, one of either side, and lifted me up onto the dance floor and danced with me! Bride and groom handled and paid for everything, and it was really well orchestrated.
On Sunday, we had brunch at our house. This is why I’m exhausted. I got up at 6:45 (brunch was scheduled for 11:00 to 2:00), organized my kitchen, figured out where everything would go. ran to the grocery to buy 120 pounds of ice, put ice in big containers and filled them with soft drinks, put ice in a big basket and put a pitcher of orange juice and a pitcher of mimosas in it, set out all the plastic ware, plates, napkins, etc. At 10:00 the catering place opened and S2 and DH went to pick up the bagels, lox, quiche, fruit and coffee. They came back with all but the coffee, called the caterer, went back to get the coffee. Then I put the food out, made sure everything was organized, and the guests started to arrive. There were 49 people here!! People loved the house, wanted to ask questions about my kitchen renovation, ooh-ed and ah-ed over our house, and were charming and lovely. When 2:00 rolled around, I was wiped out.
Well, it turns out the MOB, FOB, two BOBs and bride’s SIL had every intention of staying at my house until the bitter end – that is, until the bride and groom left our house. (They went into NYC, where the spent the night and caught an early plane for their honeymoon.) Bride and groom were here until 5:00. So I still had a house full of people by 5:00 PM!!! We didn’t know they were going to stay that late, and we were really surprised that they didn’t leave – and absolutely exhausted.
I’m really wiped out and have spent today just starting to get my house back in order. Lots left to do. It was an awesome weekend!!
Congrats on the wonderful sounding wedding celebrations and your stamina and hosting skills, @VeryHappy! Rest up!
You cracked me up with this: 
“Once I got myself “done,” at 8:30 in the morning, I went home and picked up dog poop in the back yard (in full makeup)”
@doschicos, ya’ gotta do what ya’ gotta do! The dogs were spending the weekend at a friend’s house, I knew people would be walking around my back yard, and DH alleges that bending over hurts his back. So, as a woman, of course I did what needed to be done!!
@VeryHappy, it sounds like a fantastic weekend! What a hostess yo must be.Now is the time for a well-deserved rest and flipping through all the memories and pictures from the myriad of events!