Wedding question - midwestern thing?

[Anonymous]

They just do things differently in the Midwest. It is a regoinal thing. I married into a family there and there are always these little differences and quirks and things when we visit out there. It's just different strokes for different folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll be flying out for a wedding in the midwest in a couple months. I just received the invitation: ceremony is at 6:30pm followed by a "dessert reception" and dancing. Is this a midwest thing?

Must be. I went to a midwestern wedding (Texas) about 2 years ago and there was no real reception - just the ceremony and then a dinner followed by one bride/groom dance and a parents dance. But no get-down and party reception or anything, no rented facility.

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks for the thoughts and perspectives. I'm honestly happy to be there to help the couple celebrate. Maybe they'll have an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen!!

[Anonymous]

Well I'm a northeastern girl and admit I've been accustomed to the big blowout receptions for weddings. But really, if these were friends of mine I'd go along to whatever they want and be happy for then. Think of it as doing anthropology research -- you're a participant/observer to another culture. How interesting to be part of this? See? Now doesn't this cast things in a more positive light for you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A good number of DCUMers eat dinner before 6:30, if not how do these 7pm bedtimes work?

Eat before and you will be hungry for dessert by 7.

We feed the kids at 6. We eat after the kids are in bed around 7.

[Anonymous]

PP here -- sorry about the typos. I was in a rush and didn't proofread before hitting "send."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll be flying out for a wedding in the midwest in a couple months. I just received the invitation: ceremony is at 6:30pm followed by a "dessert reception" and dancing. Is this a midwest thing?

Must be. I went to a midwestern wedding (Texas) about 2 years ago and there was no real reception - just the ceremony and then a dinner followed by one bride/groom dance and a parents dance. But no get-down and party reception or anything, no rented facility.

So do the guests all band together and go out and party, or do you just go back to your hotel and have a drink in the bar?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A good number of DCUMers eat dinner before 6:30, if not how do these 7pm bedtimes work?

Eat before and you will be hungry for dessert by 7.

We feed the kids at 6. We eat after the kids are in bed around 7.

You never have family dinners?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We feed the kids at 6. We eat after the kids are in bed around 7.

I think this is the norm around here (DC/NY/etc). Not sure it's the best strategy, as it deprives the family from eating together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll be flying out for a wedding in the midwest in a couple months. I just received the invitation: ceremony is at 6:30pm followed by a "dessert reception" and dancing. Is this a midwest thing?

Must be. I went to a midwestern wedding (Texas) about 2 years ago and there was no real reception - just the ceremony and then a dinner followed by one bride/groom dance and a parents dance. But no get-down and party reception or anything, no rented facility.

Texas isn't "midwest"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwestern_United_States

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They just do things differently in the Midwest. It is a regoinal thing. I married into a family there and there are always these little differences and quirks and things when we visit out there. It's just different strokes for different folks.

Nope. The well off in the midwest do throw sit down dinner and dancing receptions.

[Anonymous]

Also grew up in the midwest, where we ate at 5 PM every night. Thinking back I'm not sure how that worked out, but I know my dad left for work at around 6, so he probably worked a 7-3 shift, getting him home around 4:00. (Rush hour there is nothing compared to here, but because he's blind, he rode the equivalent of Metro Access, making his trip take MUCH longer than it could have if he drove). Mom ran a daycare out of our house until she went back to school to get her RN, then she worked 11p to 7a or 3p to 11p. When she worked those shifts, dinner was waiting for us in the oven.

I was going to write that depending on where in the midwest you were going, there might not be alcohol or dancing at the reception, even if a full meal were served... shocking, I know ... but I see dancing will be a part of the dessert reception, so there will probably also be alcohol.

But I do need to defend my friends/relatives that didn't have dancing or alcohol at their receptions - it wasn't an economic decision, but rather a religious one. Their churches frown on these...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A good number of DCUMers eat dinner before 6:30, if not how do these 7pm bedtimes work?

Eat before and you will be hungry for dessert by 7.

We feed the kids at 6. We eat after the kids are in bed around 7.

You never have family dinners?

The kids are 3 and almost 1. I sit with them while they eat, but no, the four of us don't generally eat dinner together. Breakfast and lunch? Yes. Dinner? Rarely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also grew up in the midwest, where we ate at 5 PM every night. Thinking back I'm not sure how that worked out, but I know my dad left for work at around 6, so he probably worked a 7-3 shift, getting him home around 4:00. (Rush hour there is nothing compared to here, but because he's blind, he rode the equivalent of Metro Access, making his trip take MUCH longer than it could have if he drove). Mom ran a daycare out of our house until she went back to school to get her RN, then she worked 11p to 7a or 3p to 11p. When she worked those shifts, dinner was waiting for us in the oven.

I was going to write that depending on where in the midwest you were going, there might not be alcohol or dancing at the reception, even if a full meal were served... shocking, I know ... but I see dancing will be a part of the dessert reception, so there will probably also be alcohol.

But I do need to defend my friends/relatives that didn't have dancing or alcohol at their receptions - it wasn't an economic decision, but rather a religious one. Their churches frown on these...

They also are less likely than east coasters to have guests flying in from all over the world. I kinda wanted our friend who flew home from Moscow for 3 days to have a wonderful time to look forward to. Dessert wouldn't have cut it.

[Anonymous]

Hm... why don't these people just have a tea-party at 4pm?