The Anniversary Dance
By the age of 16 I knew that I did not want a boquet toss at my wedding. I could not, with good conscience, force friends to participate in an activity I so thoroughly loathed. There has been once in my adult life I have willingly participated in a boquet toss, and that was at my friend Heidi's wedding, as the friendship was stronger than the hate of the activity.
In lieu Sweetie and I opted to have an anniversary dance, where you call all married couples up on the dance floor and slowly eliminate people (if you've been married less than one day, sit down), until the couple that has been married the longest is left out on the dance floor, and they are presented with the boquet.
Once the guest list was compiled we set out to determine who the lucky winners would be and determined that it was George and Betty, who celebrated their 60th anniversary earlier this year. This was FABULOUS news, because in addition to George and Betty being really wonderful people it allowed me to perpetuate a bit of an inside joke between my mom and them.
Once upon a time there was a party of some sort (perhaps a birthday party for Betty? I'm not totally sure on this point) at a Red Robin which George was hosting and my parents were attending. Drinks had been ordered, and as luck would have it Mom chose a drink that happened to come in a Red Robin coffee mug and for the price of the drink you got to keep the mug. A friend of Mom's had ordered the same drink. George picked up that round of drinks, and gave Mom and her friend a hard time about how he had bought the mugs as well. So Mom and her friend both gifted the mugs back to George at some point. And they've been gifted back and forth several times over the years.
As luck would have it, Mom was in posession of the mug when we figured out the George and Betty would be the last ones standing for the anniversary dance, so in addition to presenting them with the boquet, we presented them with the mug - filled with Hershey's kisses. The story gets better, as Mom's friend was in posession of her mug as well, and after the dance she told me said mug was delivered to George and Betty's hotel room while we were all at the wedding.
Upon the completion of the dance George decided to lay some words of wisdom on Sweetie: "One bit of advice, 'yes dear, yes dear, yes dear.'" Betty commented that she KNEW it was worth it to get us a nice present for the shower! They are such fun people!
I hope Sweetie and I have 60 years of happiness ahead of us, and that we're such fun when that day comes.
In lieu Sweetie and I opted to have an anniversary dance, where you call all married couples up on the dance floor and slowly eliminate people (if you've been married less than one day, sit down), until the couple that has been married the longest is left out on the dance floor, and they are presented with the boquet.
Once the guest list was compiled we set out to determine who the lucky winners would be and determined that it was George and Betty, who celebrated their 60th anniversary earlier this year. This was FABULOUS news, because in addition to George and Betty being really wonderful people it allowed me to perpetuate a bit of an inside joke between my mom and them.
Once upon a time there was a party of some sort (perhaps a birthday party for Betty? I'm not totally sure on this point) at a Red Robin which George was hosting and my parents were attending. Drinks had been ordered, and as luck would have it Mom chose a drink that happened to come in a Red Robin coffee mug and for the price of the drink you got to keep the mug. A friend of Mom's had ordered the same drink. George picked up that round of drinks, and gave Mom and her friend a hard time about how he had bought the mugs as well. So Mom and her friend both gifted the mugs back to George at some point. And they've been gifted back and forth several times over the years.
As luck would have it, Mom was in posession of the mug when we figured out the George and Betty would be the last ones standing for the anniversary dance, so in addition to presenting them with the boquet, we presented them with the mug - filled with Hershey's kisses. The story gets better, as Mom's friend was in posession of her mug as well, and after the dance she told me said mug was delivered to George and Betty's hotel room while we were all at the wedding.
Upon the completion of the dance George decided to lay some words of wisdom on Sweetie: "One bit of advice, 'yes dear, yes dear, yes dear.'" Betty commented that she KNEW it was worth it to get us a nice present for the shower! They are such fun people!
I hope Sweetie and I have 60 years of happiness ahead of us, and that we're such fun when that day comes.
posted by Swankette at 8:21 PM
2 Comments:
That is a fantastic tradition and a great story!
Al has already made me promise to take her out dancing on our 75th anniversary. Guess I better start practicing ... and hope I'm still ambulatory a month after my 100th birthday. ;-)
If you can stay on your feet (and if Alisha can...she had trouble when I grabbed her to dance last month!), you're guaranteed the bouquet from any like-minded newly married couple. Hell, I'd have to be 95 (and my wife 93) to duplicate George and Betty. That's a tough goal, but I'll try to eat right and exercise...
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