By Staff
Kim West
Last week my younger sister Christina, who has been engaged since last year, called to let me know she had set her wedding date for this October.
She had originally picked out the third weekend of June, but I think the new one is better because the weather will be much cooler and it will give her more time to get everything from the photographer to the florist booked. It's also a relief because that weekend already included two birthdays, a weekend visit from a niece who lives in Maryland and a family reunion.
In the past several years, I have had a front-row seat as former roommates, family members and friends have planned their weddings, and it amazes me how much goes into something that only lasts a couple hours. I remember one wedding I attended two or three years ago took only an hour, including the reception. The ceremony was lovely but I remember thinking that it took my friend Emily three times that long to produce the handmade wedding invitations she sent out.
My sister is one of those people who has always known that she wanted to get married and have a family, and I'm looking forward to being in her wedding even if it means wearing a strapless yellow and pink dress that is destined for a spot in my closet behind some prom gowns that need to be given away.
At last count I've been to 18 weddings for former teammates and roommates, relatives and friends, but I've only been in two of them up to this point. For my oldest sister Paula, I was only old enough to be a flower girl, and all I can remember is that the church was so big that it had its own gift shop and there were several candy dishes at the reception filled with those melt-in-your-mouth mints. My older sister Glenna married while I was high school, but all I had to do was wear a somewhat poufy blue bridesmaid dress, pose for pictures and attend a bridal tea and a wedding shower.
I'm not sure what duties come along with being a maid of honor, especially since my Christina has already planned out nearly everything. From what I can tell, all that's left for me to do is plan a bridal shower and find some yellow dress shoes.