Friday OT #1 - Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Funeral

[Al_4_State]

About 10 or so. I’ve done about everything - best man, groomsman (most frequent), usher, reader, host, and even officiated one.

Usher is my favorite role. It’s all the wedding party perks with less responsibility.

I almost always love being in weddings. Anymore, you get a new suit for cheap, and you’re at a party where you don’t pay for booze or food.

 

[CY88CE11]

I made sure my dad gave the priest a handsome fee, so we were wrapped up in an hour for a full Mass with wedding included. Father chose the short prayers and kept the sermon short.

The two I was an usher for did not pay a handsome fee. One was ~1:25, the other ~ 1:35. The 1:35 one was in a small church with 300 people invited and one wall A/C unit. The groomsmen were sweating for the entirety of it, while the others ushers and I stood outside in the breeze.

 

[cowgirl836]

I was a guest at my buddies wedding in Ames. Was up nearly two straight days (got around 3 hrs of sleep on the first day) before the wedding. There was an ISUMBB game on during the wedding which I was listening to on my phone. I passed out in the church and dropped my phone on the hard wood floor. That was embarrassing.

I was also the best man for a wedding. In this wedding the pastor kept say "life is like a circle" and I lost my ****. I couldn't stop thinking about Chuck and Larry and was laughing so hard I was tearing up. His parents were pissed. Well the bridesmaids eventually noticed. They didn't see my laughing my ass off...but they saw the tears. They thought I was "emotional" which then set them off crying. That was awesome.

the last part sounds like it should have been part of Vince and Owen's "snag a bridesmaid" plan in Wedding Crashers.

 

[Clonefan32]

About 10 or so. I’ve done about everything - best man, groomsman (most frequent), usher, reader, host, and even officiated one.

Usher is my favorite role. It’s all the wedding party perks with less responsibility.

I almost always love being in weddings. Anymore, you get a new suit for cheap, and you’re at a party where you don’t pay for booze or food.

Was in a wedding about a year ago now as a groomsmen. Outdoor wedding where it rained all morning and heated up to like 95 after. Hot, humid, muggy, you get the idea. So the ushers get everyone to their seats and go back to a shaded area where they've strategically placed a cooler full of beer, and proceed to chug beers in the shade while heckling us groomsmen who were in the verge of a heat stroke.

Usher is the way to go.

 

[cowgirl836]

I've actually never officially been in a wedding sans my own. Wait, I was a vocalist for two - does that count? I didn't even go to the receptions though, I was like 17 and didn't know the couples.

Technically was like a personal attendant at my BFF's wedding. She might have had me in the program like that I think. I did get flowers so it must have been official. She had like 100 sisters so they had to be the actual bridesmaids. I still got to hang out for rehearsal and all that jazz.

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

Groomsman once.

 

[cyfanatic13]

Groomsman for 6, best man for 1, usher for 3.

Two ISU memories from last year. 1) wedding was on the day of the season opener. Me and a buddy bought the game on Cyclones TV and watched the beginning on our phone before the delay. We then got really drunk and the next morning i was freaking out trying to find a score for the game and was so confused.
2) wedding was on the day of the ISU-Texas game. Couple of us watched it on our phones and decided we were gonna get sad drunk or happy drunk afterwards. Also half the wedding party pics were us (most of the groomsmen were ISU fans) getting the rest of the wedding party to do horns down. Bride wasn’t happy

 

[throwittoblythe]

I think I've been in 7 weddings not including my own. Best man in a buddies wedding. Groomsman in another buddies wedding. Best man in both my brothers weddings. Ring bearer in my mom's second and third weddings. Ring bearer in my dad's second wedding. Can you tell divorce runs in my family?

The only sports-related wedding memory I have is attending a friends wedding in Iowa City the same weekend ISU beat Nebraska in the "8 Turnover Game." ISU had the lead just as the wedding started. This was before I had a smart phone, so I didn't find out until after the wedding that they had won.

 

[VeloClone]

I was a soloist for my sister's wedding (apparently she has very low standards), I stood up for my brother at his second wedding. That was the best wedding. It was just the four of us and the Reverend for about 15 minutes. I have been usher a few times and will be again in July for my BIL. I was a groomsman for another one and also took care of the other groomsman who has severe health issues and uses a wheelchair.

The biggest Cyclone related thing I can think of was us scheduling our fall wedding around the football schedule. We made sure it was a road game weekend and the entire wedding party listened to a Cyclone comeback come up just short in the stretch limo with us. Then we had our reception in the 2nd floor lobby of Scheman with JTS as the scene behind our head table.

My brother was in a wedding many, many moons ago during the Iowa v. Iowa State FB game. One of the ushers had a transistor radio with an earphone listening to the game. He had an Iowa hat on and he would wear it forward when Iowa was in the lead and backward when ISU was in the lead. Most of the congregation were constantly sneaking peeks to the back of the church. That included all of the groomsmen and even the groom.

I attended a wedding of two Cyclone grads during the 2005 Kansas game (with a chance at a Big 12 CG berth on the line). All of the groom's family are terrible Hawk fans. Many of his family were monitoring the game and they gave out a big cheer during the ceremony when ISU missed an OT field goal and again when Kansas kicked the game winning field goal.

We buried my wife's grandfather during the Humanitarian Bowl. It was a miserable cold rain and the Cyclones played even worse.

 

[jbindm]

I've been in one as an usher and one as the videographer. That's it. Most of my friends and family haven't gone in on the big traditional weddings, and I don't have a big social circle. Attending is way more fun.

Side note - I'm a ULC ordained minister so if you need someone to officiate a wedding just shoot me a PM. I'll knock out a ceremony in less than ten minutes for 50 bucks and a decent bottle of whiskey. You won't get a deal like that with any fancypants minister from a brick and mortar seminary.

 

[TXCyclones]

Ring Bearer - 1
Usher - 3
Groomsman - 2
Best Man - 1

 

[khardbored]

I've only been an (adult) groomsman once, as best man. I've never been a "lesser groomsman."

I only like attending weddings if it's someone I know very well. Distant relatives? Nope.

 

[madguy30]

Only been a groomsmen in one wedding, thankfully. So much organization, money, and stress.

One year my cousin's wedding was during the ISU/Iowa game but neither team was very good so didn't really care.

 

[Isualum13]

My cousin thought it would be cool to schedule his wedding on the day of the Cyhawk game many years ago.

His sister and her now husband are big cyclone fans and had a fall wedding in ames with the reception at the alumni center. Had to reschedule the wedding after they set the date and booked the venues as iowa state had to alter their schedule, so they had to switch the wedding to the new bye week.

Me personally, it's unlikely I will go to your wedding if you get married on a Saturday during college football season. All of my nonmarried close friends know this.

 

[madguy30]

I've only been an (adult) groomsman once, as best man. I've never been a "lesser groomsman."

I only like attending weddings if it's someone I know very well. Distant relatives? Nope.

I've attended less weddings as time has gone on...I wish the best for people but relationships are personal stuff and soon you realize it's a little odd to spend all of that energy on something that is between two people, and them only, and that is something that shouldn't peak on their wedding day.

 

[cyclones500]

My stat-line (as accurate as memory allows):

Groomsman: 3
Candle-lighter: 3
Ring-bearer: 2
Usher: 1 (2 if you count co-role as groomsman)
Best Man: The empty set
First appearance in a wedding party: October 1974 (ring-bearer)
Most-recent appearance: September 2000 (groomsman)
Total number of weddings attended: Infinity

 

[isukendall]

About 10 or so. I’ve done about everything - best man, groomsman (most frequent), usher, reader, host, and even officiated one.

Usher is my favorite role. It’s all the wedding party perks with less responsibility.

I almost always love being in weddings. Anymore, you get a new suit for cheap, and you’re at a party where you don’t pay for booze or food.

And this is why Al and I are friends.

I would guess I've been "in" 15 or so? Close to ten as a groomsman, usher in several, officiated three, and a groom in one. I (half) joke when I get to weddings I'm not in, that I'm the #1 wedding bench player and can fill in any position at any time. Almost had to do this when the preacher got caught in a snowstorm. I offer my services to officiate, but it must be people I know and love, a relationship I support, and not in a church (I'm not super religious and not going to pretend that I am).

Point on ushers is totally true. You escort people in, then have option to sit on the church steps and have a beer while you wait for the ceremony to run its course.

Only complaint is when wedding parties require you to rent a tux or buy a dress (for women). Wife and I had guys wear their own black suit (and if you don't have one, you should - for the price of renting a tux). Asked them to buy a shirt and tie that would match up the party, but practical clothes they would still wear after. Asked bridesmaids to wear an appropriate black dress. Everyone looked great, I believe, because they were more comfortable in our own clothes. Some people even thought we made the girls order different dresses. Weddings are a racket - always appreciated when the father of the groom would pick up the tux tab.

 

[Sigmapolis]

I was an usher for a bunch of cousins on both sides of my family.

I am about to be best man at my brother's on a FOOTBALL SATURDAY this fall.

 

[HGoat1]

I'm at the age where my friends are starting to drop like flies. Attended 9 weddings last wedding szn. Think I have 6 this year, 2 already out of the way. I've been a groomsman in 3.

I much prefer attending vs being in them.

 

[isukendall]

Regarding the football thing, I grew up in Nebraska so have seen it all. Multiple times in Nebraska, have seen the preacher give a score update before the ceremony and after the ceremony. Remember seeing old guys sneak in with portable AM radios that probably ran off of size C batteries, and an earpiece - like nobody noticed.

I was in a wedding somewhere in northeast Iowa when NDSU kicked the field goal to beat Iowa in closing seconds. I was in the back row, streaming the game on my phone - my wife frowned but didn't make too big a fuss. When it happened, I whispered the result to my brother in law in the row in front of me, he spread to his neighbor, they all passed it on, until pretty much the whole back of the church was either ISU fans high fiving each other or Iowa fans in disbelief. This was all during the ceremony.

One last thing: don't get married in football season. Don't be that guy. Just don't.