Mormon Receptions

[Maureen]

There's just one problem here - I was just kidding.

Did you read the rest of my post? My reception went a bit wonky...my step dad was drunk and made a scene, my husband spilled punch on my wedding dress. I was making a joke.

If there is one thing you should know from hanging out with us, is that Mormons can be as different from one another in matters like this as night and day so your generalization is incorrect and unfair.

 

The emoticon does not necessarily tell someone that the statement is a "kidding" or "joking" statement. Terribly sorry that I took it as serious. Others on this forum have mentioned that they would skip the reception, so it's not like it's a foreign concept.

 

But I still stand by what I said. Mormons do not seem to celebrate weddings like other religious people do.

 

M.

[Maureen]

...2--- Temple sealings.  The temple sealing is place to make covenants to God very privately.  So when it comes receptions (aka celebration) time, Mormons invite a LOT of people (>200 frequently).  As doing a catered meal for 200 is infeasible, you then instead get simple snacks (which is feasible).  

 

 

Amen!  (Though I would omit the "even Mormons" part as unnecessary). 

 

 

I don't think I've been to any Mormon wedding reception where there were more than 200 people.

 

I edited my "even Mormon" remark to "especially Mormon".

 

M.

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

The emoticon does not necessarily tell someone that the statement is a "kidding" or "joking" statement. Terribly sorry that I took it as serious. 

 

Thanks Maureen.  You are right it is really easy for misunderstandings to occur in written communication.   I remember once I was so annoyed about something someone had said that I mentioned to my husband.  He is said, "Are you sure that's what he meant?"  

 

I was adamant that it was, and that there could not be any other way to interpret his words.  My husband was also adamant that I should ask if that was the intent.

 

So I asked and wouldn't you know, hubby was right again.  LOL.

[Backroads]

But I still stand by what I said. Mormons do not seem to celebrate weddings like other religious people do.

I concur, based on what I've seen. Mexican Catholic weddings. Oy. The gal who did my wedding make-up was also planning her wedding and it sounded like a nightmare.

[Jane_Doe]

I don't think I've been to any Mormon wedding reception where there were more than 200 people.

 

 You've never been to a Mormon reception where they invite the entire ward?   That's easily 200 people alone, plus other friends and family.

 

The open house format makes it so that all those people aren't there are the same time, reducing the apparent crowd.

[carlimac]

So I'm smack in the middle of this right now. My son is marrying a girl next Sat. whose parents are living in MD right now. They know very few people back there having only been there a few years.Only a few people from the ward are invited. At the time of the engagement we lived in VA (and thought we'd still be living there but we recently moved back to ID - a long, dismal saga) and the wedding was planned for the DC temple. Made perfect sense except that her very small family is scattered across the states and our very large family live in Utah. When we found out our stint in the east was to end prematurely, deposits had already been put down on the reception hall and plane tickets purchased for the bride and groom, both flying from Seattle, so the location couldn't be changed even though most of the wedding supporters live across the country.

 

.So we're flying 9 of us from the west out to the east next weekend for the temple wedding and formal reception- which will be very small, maybe 30-35 people, snack food, dessert, cake, at 2 in the afternoon.  But not a sit down meal.  THEN we are coming back out to the west and we (the groom's family) will put on an "open house" a week later with 150 people invited. Yes it will be perhaps a little less formal but a much bigger party. So it's all kind of scrambled and inconvenient for us. But you do what you gotta do.  We're just praying that the first big crippling snowstorm of the season won't hit DC the very day the wedding party is trying to get out there. (So far the forecast looks like it's aiming for a bullseye hit, and DC airports don't do snow very well   ) 

 

Mormons don't celebrate weddings as vigorously as other religions??? You should have come to my daughter's wedding last spring. The temple ceremony was sacred and beautiful, followed by a sit down wedding luncheon for 60 provided by the groom's family, followed by a PARTAY that evening. 250 were invited at least. Would have been more but the reception was not in the bride's or groom's hometown so the wards didn't show up. Just family and college friends mostly.  Taco Bar, decor up the Wazzoo, lots of people, no cake cause my daughter wanted cheesecake instead that got cut and the couple smeared it on each other's faces, followed by throwing the bouquet, removing and flipping the garter, dancing - very tender first dance together, then with Daddy-daughter and Mommy-son, then loud music and energetic dancing by everyone from about 2 on up,  and the couple escaping through a shower of bubbles and noise makers ( the reception center wouldn't allow rice or anything messy). Took a while to escape though because their car was stuffed completely full of balloons.  The only thing missing was alcohol (saved thousands of $$ thankfully) and the drunk step-dad...as in, no one got drunk.

 

I also attended a Mormon reception that was a sit down dinner luau for well over 100 people. And a program with singing and Hawaiian dancing. Elaborate!  

 

I've never heard that Mormons aren't supposed to spend money on weddings. Only that we should avoid going into debt. So my husband's bonus at work has kept that from being the case. Whew!  We're just praying for more bonuses in the future because there are 4 more weddings coming down the pipe. The youngest is only 11 so we have some time to save up.