I had my bridal shower today in Burlington and now here I am, sitting in the middle of all our loot, completely overwhelmed by my family's and Dave's family's and our friends' outpouring of love and generosity.
It was so wonderful to see everyone today, if not a bit nerve-wracking. (ok, VERY nerve-wracking!) My mom and Dave's mom threw such a nice shower, complete with good food and a beautiful cake and some silly (but fun!) bridal shower games. 
I couldn't even BELIEVE the pile of presents. It took more than an hour to open them all! Dave showed up at the end of the party to say his hellos and thank you's, but also because we knew we'd need a second car to haul the gifts!
It was really fun to hug everyone today and be able to say, "I'll see you in just five little weeks – at the WEDDING!" It has seemed so far away for so long and now suddenly, it's HERE.
I set up our gifts on our dining room table tonight to snap some pictures of them – I thought it'd be fun to look back years from now and see what we received from our loved ones when we were just starting out. I'm sitting next to them as I write, enjoying the mountain looming over me – but when I'm done, I have to start figuring out where I'm going to put them all! 
Ya know, the more of this pre-wedding stuff I go through, the more I realize just how much goes into being a guest at a wedding, and just how spoiled the bride and groom really are for a few-month period.
This actually ties in quite nicely with my SMWD post from yesterday – perhaps it could be a topic for discussion!
I know I've already said that I think it's INSANE that people get so much good stuff and so much attention just because they've been LUCKY enough to find someone to spend their lives with. I can't help thinking that all the time, but as I sat there today, I realized that people want to give you gifts and share in your excitement. And we all get our turn. I have given and will give many shower gifts in my life – which I enjoy – and this time around, it's my time. So I'll enjoy it while I can!
But I had another thought today, too …
When two people decide to get married, there's a huge party, a fabulous trip, and lots and lots (and LOTS) of presents involved. It makes one wonder, how many people today get married more because they're in love with the idea of having a wedding than with actually being married?
How many marriages fail after just the first few years? I know several couples who have gotten married and then were divorced within a year or two.
I believe there should be some sort of pre-nuptial agreement between couples and guests, I really do. If a couple gets divorced after just a few years or less, they should have to reimburse their guests the money they spent on shower presents and wedding presents and hotel rooms and travel. Why in the world should you be able to keep all those gifts if you're not going to stay married?! No way.
I'll vow right now – if Dave and I don't make it for the long haul, I'll give everyone back the moola they spent on us!
In all seriousness, I am beyond grateful for all the lovely things we got today, and for all the people who traveled to come to my party. All of this bride stuff will be over soon and I think I'll be a little sad – it sure is fun when people make such a fuss! J
As always, there are more pics at the end of the post if you want to take a look.
I'm so bummed that I couldn't be there, but I did get a couple of calls just hours after the shower saying how great it was. Glad that you had such a great time!
And, to your point about an agreement between the wedding couple and the guests, I COULD NOT AGREE MORE! A friend of ours was married for only a few months, and between shower gifts, tux rentals (my fiance was in the wedding), a wedding gift, and everything else, we spent way too much money for the marriage to go under so quickly! Very good point!
Posted by: Amanda | September 24, 2006 at 08:24 AM
I am so happy for you, Erin.
You raise a sobering thought about the ethos of weddings and what motivates couples to go through the process in the first place.
Maybe it's because I'm a guy, but I was always fixated on what came after. The wedding was merely the process by which I'd get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.
So many people I've known have failed to understand the subtle difference between wedding-as-milestone and wedding-as-goal. Most of them ended up in either miserable marriages or divorce court. I wish they could feel what it's like to be truly happy. I wish they didn't have to learn their lesson the hard way.
My gut, of course, tells me you get what's important. What a blessing to be given this gift that matters most of all.
Posted by: Carmi | September 24, 2006 at 03:48 PM