Safe to Dance

[brightly_lit]

I loved the anti-sexism of the wedding I attended last night: The bride's dad gave her away ... and the groom's mom gave him away. He's tiny--barely taller than the bride, and many pounds thinner, and the non-gender-typical differences in weight and height have never been mentioned. The bride made it through her wedding vows okay, but then the groom choked up there at the end of his.

The guy who married them was the groom's brother, and he told their life stories in brief in a beautifully honest way, not glossing over the groom's struggles with PTSD (he's an Iraq war vet) and addiction, and how much their relationship means in this context. The bride and groom really did kind of save each other--probably the most romantic love story I've ever watched blossom; they really are perfect for each other. You know you're at a good wedding when the groom starts his wedding vows by saying, "You know why I want to marry you? Because to this day, when I fart, I get that laugh." Best wedding I've ever been to.

The first song they played for free dance was "The Safety Dance," which should be the first song anyone ever plays at any gathering where people are supposed to dance imo, because a) it lets people know it's safe to dance (I've never been anywhere--with one exception, keep reading--where people danced with such abandon, although this also had to do with the groom's personality, as he certainly was going for it), and b) because Men Without Hats were my very favorite band in middle school! To the point that I started a religion for them! (Long story--okay, not that long: I started a religion for them, with the lead singer as our god. Unfortunately, I turned out not to have the stomach for taking advantage of people vulnerable to this kind of thing, or I might be getting "washed up for the orgy" myself at this very moment!) All the music was fabulous; the bride agonized over the playlist for months, although it was the groom who fussed over all the details brides stereotypically care about.


The man who did not become my husband after all, sigh ...

Ivan Doroschuk--briefly our god. You see my reasoning, the stone hottie. The only other place I've seen people dance publicly with such utter abandon was at the Men Without Hats concert I attended a few summers ago. If you ever have a chance to see them in concert, I cannot more strongly recommend you take it.

Check it--this video was even uploaded on my birthday! I'm telling you, Ivan, the coincidences just keep mounting! I think the universe is trying to tell us something ....

Comments

[kalliel]

That sounds like such a wonderful ceremony. Congratulations to the newlyweds!!

And ha, it's always nice to have something to break the ice on the dance floor. ;) As for religions, that sounds legit to me!! And hey, it was about safety! And dancing! And men without hats! Is there a better basis for religion, really? :D When I was in high school, my friends and I started a vampire Lestat cult. >.> While we didn't get washed up for any orgies, we definitely did some Living Free and Twi-ing Hard. Let's all remember that Anne Rice's vampires definitely sparkled, too! XD

Thank you for sharing these stories, bb. It's lovely to see you around again! <3

[brightly-lit.livejournal.com]

A vampire Lestat cult! I'd have been all over that! I was so crazy about those books that for my acting audition, I did a Louis monologue, and one of the judges in his rating of my performance wrote, "This is a rare monologue, not often done ...." Yeah, like NEVER done, since I took it straight out of a novel no one had even heard of at the time (in 1990). Theater people are stereotyped as being pretentious know-it-alls, and he lived riiiight up to it.

Aww, thank you, honey! It's nice to BE around again!

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I would have joined that religion

[brightly-lit.livejournal.com]

Great! Just sign right here, and if you could just put all your banking information beside it; your life savings should be good for a start ....

[cuddyclothes.livejournal.com]

Damn, this is what being an atheist gets me. No religion, just obsession and lust without a higher purpose.

Sounds like a great wedding!

[brightly-lit.livejournal.com]

heh heh--hey, man, I was an atheist at the time! Freedom to start all the (lustful) cults you want. ;->

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, what a fabulous ceremony! :D *\o/* And the Safety Dance?!?!? That right there is epic and rock legend behaviour :D These people sound like the most amazingly fun people ever! :D

[brightly-lit.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they're pretty amazing. Sadly, they had to put their beautiful peach-colored cat to sleep only a few days later. :-( Life's ups and downs just keep on freakin' coming, don't they? :-}

(I thought of you a lot at the con this weekend! You'd be such a great con companion. <3)

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

I'd have killed to come with you and S_C, honestly, but it's so lovely that y'all finally got to a convention! *hugs* :D

Oh your poor friends! Pass them on my love and say how sorry I am!

[brightly-lit.livejournal.com]

Thanks, bb. <3