Erin The Great

In the last couple of months I’ve been to at least five wedding receptions. I’ve had my fair share of receptions since I stepped foot in Utah but it’s been the last couple of months that have been slightly unbearable. Don’t get me wrong, I love going and seeing my friends happy beyond all reason, but it’s the aftermath and the sidelines and the chatting that really get me.

Luckily I have what I like to refer to as a ‘Reception Buddy’. My friend Jill dislikes receptions almost as much as I do so we became each other’s ‘reception buddy’. Like I said it’s not the coupling and the marriage, in fact that’s the only part that I actually like besides the flowers. It’s the getting stuck in front of inquisitive people who ask you a million questions about your life, who you’re dating and why you’re not married yet. And. if by some miracle you do end up going with someone, you get the ‘now why aren’t you two married’ Awk.Ward. Jill and I have gone to a few receptions together that have been as awkward as they get. With the Provo scene as small as it is, there is only a matter of time before your exes start showing up and best friends and relatives of exes show up. There are also the mothers and aunts of your friends who try setting you up with EVERYONE that is still single in their family… there is only so much of this you can take before you just want to run out of ’said’ reception and scream with every last breath you have. Luckily we have each other to complain to and laugh hysterically with afterwards.

I’m beginning to wonder if wedding receptions are even necessary. To be perfectly honest, the bride and groom don’t want to be there, they have better things to do. Friends and family are going to see them again and the single people all want to run out of what ever establishment ‘said’ reception is being held at after being harassed and embarrassed enough for an entire lifetime… With the exception of last week in Portland (the only time I didn’t get harassed and asked why I wasn’t married. I had the protection of good friends and drunk guests that were to busy getting down with their bad selves). It was nice for once to just enjoy my self at a reception… and enjoy I did I think after the wedding there should be a ‘linger for a few’ and then everybody break!

After my friend’s reception yesterday, I was not surprised at all that it ended up being just as bad and awkward as the rest of them. It was great to see my friends off, but there was someone who tried to set me up with the bride’s ex. Brilliant. Awkward. Not happening. I need to get out of Provo. Honestly I would just like for the rest of my existence to go to a reception and not have to worry about anything and just enjoy myself, but apparently awkward torture is how these things roll… at least in my experience.