This weekend was the big family wedding. How’d we fare?
Well, the logistics were something of a clusterfuck (you know me, I don’t mince words). From trying to find the meeting place that wasn’t on Saturday morning to taking pictures after the ceremony, I was exhausted by all the purposeless movement. By the time Monday rolled around and my husband suggested we trek around the resort to get to lunch, I found myself going full brat and saying I wanted — nay, needed — to walk inside and take the most direct route. I apologized for being bitchy, but he told me he knew how I felt.
The bride, however, looked lovely. The groom seems pretty nice and in love with her. Though it was a quickie wedding (says the woman who dated her husband for years), I’m hoping it’s a long marriage.
My ILs were not terrible. There were moments, of course. The seating at the reception wasn’t well planned, and when it seemed like my husband and I wouldn’t have seats, my FIL freaked out on the staff. Now, it’d be okay for him to freak out if it were his wedding. But I feel that the planners, the wedding party, or the couple’s parents are the ones responsible for the comfort of their guests — not another guest. I had to say, firmly, that if I was uncomfortable, I would complain. Trust me, I would complain. Unfortunately, we ended up having to sit at their table. Le sigh.
At points, it seemed like we couldn’t escape my MIL and FIL. They were the only people we repeatedly ran into at this huge resort. They joined us for our pool days on Saturday and Sunday (where my FIL was inappropriately grouchy at the kids playing in the pool—you do realize I’m keeping score, don’t you, dude?). On our last day, after we thought they had left, they surprised us as we were having coffee (this was somewhat nerve-wracking — we were having lunch with my husband’s brother and cousin and did not want them to join).
Then, at the airport, while my husband enjoyed a beer and I a Sprite, my husband got up to use the restroom. He came back almost immediately saying, “Nope, nope, nope.” I ducked my head out and saw that his parents and an uncle were looking at the departures board — we assume they were looking for our gate. We avoided them, but there were some tense moments. Jaysus, leave us alone.
However, it’s quite obvious they’re tiptoeing around us. They’ve already had a near-miss, with my FIL trying to crash my shower before he and MIL realized what a bad idea it was. I think they’ve realized that their good behavior is paramount when it comes to their access to Dubya—give us space, realize that these are our decisions to make, don’t try to control every aspect of your relationship with her and us, and meet us halfway. It remains to be seen if they can follow through. In the meantime, you can tell every single one of my husband’s brothers and cousins is watching and waiting.
The family thing, combined with the awful resort, made us happy to be home. I’d never been so happy to leave a tropical paradise.