‘Tis the season, ladies. Does an onslaught
of weddings mean the end of an era?
What do you think of this one?” my friend
asked innocently, holding up a bright-blue frock with a white bow. “Urn, it’s
wearable” was all I could muster in reply. My friend and I were on our third
bridesmaid-dress shopping trip for her upcoming nuptials, and I had already
tried on countless hideously tailored dresses complete with all the stereotypes
(spaghetti straps, bows and too many ruffles) all bound to show swear stains,
wrinkle upon contact and be wholly unwearable beyond the ceremonial obligation.
But the potential fashion folly and subsequent photographic memorabilia weren’t
what was causing my underlying anxiety. It was the feeling that a great chasm
was opening up between me and my friends, and I was being left to drown in the
taffeta.
‘Tis
the season, ladies. Does an onslaught of weddings mean the end of an era?
Four of my close friends got engaged within
a month last fall. By the fourth announcement, my nerves were on edge every
time the phone rang. One friend even gave me a semi-insulting preamble. ‘I know
it’s sort of awkward for you that we’re all getting married at once,” she said,
“hut try not to freak out.” She also clarified moments later that there would
be “no single guys at the wedding” as if to let me know I shouldn’t bother
getting my hopes up that a handsome groomsman would be at my disposal.
Regardless of the delivery, there was excitement on both ends of the line. ¡
had an immediate flashback to the 2011 hit movie Bridesmdids and the scene
where the main character, Annie (Kristen Wiig), reacts awkwardly to her best
friend’s engagement: “Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I just got hot.... My pits are
sweating.... I’m hot.... Oh, my God! Aah! What is happening?” complete with an
uncomfortably long spell of laughter.
‘I
know it’s sort of awkward for you that we’re all getting married at once,” she
said
Don’t get me wrong: I really don’t hate
weddings. I love shopping, cakes and flowers, and I even get a sick pleasure
out of watching Say Yes to the Dress (mostly because the gown selections are
mind-boggling, hut still). I’m happy to peruse Pinterest for hours to help with
suggestions for the right centrepieces, chignons and wedding favours. Someday,
I hope to have the type of 34 year (and counting) marriage that my parents
have. But there is an unmistakable sensation that, at 29 despite several long-
term relationships I have landed on the wrong end of the marriage spectrum.
I
love shopping, cakes and flowers, and I even get a sick pleasure out of
watching Say Yes to the Dress
Until recently, my calendar was chock full
of ladies’ nights out, weekend brunches and meaningful conversations with women
who have been my pillars of support and I theirs. But in the past few months,
as several more friends boarded the nuptial train, my life has morphed into a
jumbled mess of bachelorettes, showers and the actual weddings themselves,
leaving me with only three available weekends until October that aren’t crammed
with wedding-related outings. It’s a vortex of time, energy and emotion and if
one more person compares me to Katherine HeigI’s character in 27 Dresses, I
just might scream.
It’s
a vortex of time, energy and emotion
