(My week, in a nutshell, has been very busy. The one thing about taking a week off of work is that you have to make up for it when there is no one to come in and do your job. Alas .... I'm indispensable (not))
To continue with the wedding from my last post.
In every family there is always that one 'member' who stands out among all the rest. No matter the craziness, or saneness of a family there has to be that one relative that we all die of embarrassment over. You cannot convince me otherwise. Up until my mom's passing we would have all agreed that it was she that brought us the most laughs, but often mortification when in public. She could always be counted on to be the first one to put her foot in her mouth, and be completely oblivious to the situation.
I had thought that with mom's passing that we would have a few years grace before some one else took up the mantle of absurdity (odds are it will be me in future years), but the wedding weekend proved there is a new reigning queen.
Thankfully, it is not someone from my families side, but from my sister-in-law (mother of the bride) side - Aunt Tilly.
I'm not exactly sure how old Aunt Tilly is, but I would guess her to be in her late 70's going on senile. If there was an audience to be had, her antics grew larger. At first it brought a giggle to the group, but the performances became old quickly.
On the Friday we/anyone available, reported our manpower reception hall to decorated according to the brides wishes. In my nieces case - this meant large quantities of brown tulle, and large paper spheres to be hung from the ceiling. One such length of tulle was not quite long enough to be used, and was immediately snatched up by Aunt Tilly to be adorned on her person like a mink stole. At first we all thought "Ah .... isn't that cute. I wished I thought of that .... ". Then after a while the waltzing to no music in the corner began, and we thought "OK. .. that's a bit odd .... she's a bit odd .... but we have a lot of work to do here." But after 3 hours of her it wasn't funny or cute anymore.
God Bless Aunt Tilly. She was completely happy, incognizant and sober in her own little world. And many of us held our breath in wait for what she would do next.
The 'next' came the following day after the wedding, and at the reception itself. Hind-sight / fore-sight - when planning the seating arrangement for a wedding reception keep in mind how close you place a potential heckler to the head table and MC's stand. Word to the wise.
The meal was wonderful. The room tastefully decorated. The bride and groom giddy with romance. The 187 (majority of which were under the age of 30) knew exactly where the open bar was. The party was all ON!
The position of "Maid of Honour" was shared by two young University friends. One of which was the kind who was not afraid to speak her mind. The kind of young lady that as they age would grow into the likes of my mother or Aunt Tilly.
I digress .....
It was time for speeches and toasts. The "Maids of Honour" were giving their speeches to the bride, and "speaks-her-own-mind" was up, she talked at length about how popular my niece had been in University. How lucky the groom was to have met and caught the bride. How all the young men in University had wanted to "bang" her (my niece, the bride . . . . .)
An audible groan could be heard throughout the land, and the temperature in the room rose several degrees due to the heat from many blushing cheeks - majority of warmth coming from the bride. Although, the look on my brother's face (father-of-the-bride) was one of extreme discomfited pain.
That said, when the tides turned and it was time for the bride and groom to respond, they handled the remarks with a grace and class that made me proud for my girl.
On to the dancing, and back to Aunt Tilly ....
The DJ started up the music around 9:30, and I danced (awkwardly) with my husband for the first time in our lives together. Strictly rock and roll, but I like it.
I found that the music really divided the generations. The folks who were over 30 tended to like the 70's and 80's rock, and country music. The under 30's waited, and drank, at the bar for just the right fast song. And then there was Aunt Tilly ...
Although she had lost her brown tulle stole, she was still quite content to waltz around the dance floor without a partner, and regardless of the tempo. Little did we know she was winding up for the grand-slam floor show later.
Hubby and I left around mid-night, many of the older revelers had left, but the bride, groom, and youngin's were just getting started. This included Aunt Tilly - whom I might impress upon you as being quite sober.
Because I feel that I have spent most of this entry dissing Aunt Tilly, I will not give details to her late night antics now. With the exception to say that there are pictures to prove of a shirtless, muscled young man playing pony to a rough riding, geriatric gyrating elder. Aunt Tilly knows that her hips ain't broke and she knows how to use them.
Please forgive me if you are offended at my tales of Aunt Tilly, speaking ill of my elders and all. But I've been to many weddings, and dances etc. and I've never quite seen this kind of behavior from a person let alone a woman. Aunt Tilly deserves our respect and prayers, and quite possibly an assessment on her capacities. But she does make for some good story telling.
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1 comment:
You're right, every family has an Aunt Tilly!
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