I’m beat. Not bested, but completely exhausted. I’ve spent most of the day, technically most of the month, arranging flights and hotels for my family’s visit next month.
Today marks the 30-day count-down until Maggie and I officially become husband and wife (though we’ve been doing a trial run since getting the license in December).
The wedding, as I may have mentioned, will be in Hainan – the southern most province of China, and a tropical island that boasts the same latitude as Hawaii. My father, stepmom, two sisters, and a good friend will all be coming over for the wedding. Them, coupled with Maggie’s mom, Maggie and myself, will all trek down to Hainan for a few days of sun, fun and marital vows.
My soon-to-be wife and I are bucking a lot of traditions in both our cultures by having a quaint wedding that will try to focus on what we feel is most important – namely, us. We didn’t want to get lost in planning a massive event that worked, in the most part, to please other people. We didn’t want to attempt to live up to perceived expectations and have tried hard to keep our sights set on what the day is really about – both her and I making a commitment to each other.
Despite all this, or rather because of it, we’ve skipped some of the formative (at least financially-earning) events in the wedding process. We’re not going to be getting a multi-coloured assortment of toaster ovens from well-meaning guests, Maggie’s not going to be having her day with the girls and I’m not going to be having my night with the boys (and scantily clad ladies). And, until now, we weren’t going to have what, for many, provides just that little bit more help with the wedding expenses – the stag & doe.
I can’t count the number of stag & doe tickets I’ve bought, nor the amount of stag & doe beers I’ve purchased (to help the cause, of course), which may be why it seemed a little sad to me that in finally getting married myself I wasn’t going to have one of my own. Due to living roughly 11,000 km from many of the people nearest and dearest to me, I had figured it just wasn’t possible. However, I spend far too much time online to let something like distance stand in my way.
Yup, I did it, the last bastion of human interaction – and I’ve put it online.
So, here it is… Maggie & Ryan’s Online Stag & Doe. Check it out and if you’ve got a few bucks lying around, we’re happy to unburden you of it. If not, no worries – you didn’t have to buy a ticket, and we’re not (despite all efforts to the contrary) offering over-priced beer…
