What is it about weddings and funerals..?

I don't remember where I heard that line, but I saw it on some movie or TV show recently. I think it was Brothers & Sisters? (excellent show - go watch).  Anyway, it continued with the pondering question of why people seem to be a a bit nuts when it comes to events such as weddings and funerals.  And with only 4 weeks til D-Day, Pete and I have been pondering the same issue.  (And it makes me want to watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding.)

Simply stated...our "small, intimate, simple wedding" has brought about an unexpected amount of drama, bad behavior, awkward conversations, family issues, and luckily even some unexpected happy developments over the past 14 months...and it gets thicker as we move closer to the wedding.

It seems like a balancing act - in the beginning, it was just Pete and I stressing about everything, overreacting, and letting the wedding turn us into crazy people (okay, I use the word us pretty lightly - it should say me).  But now that we are finally past all the stress and pretty content in our excitement-induced haze of projects and squealing and honeymoon daydreaming...everyone else around us seems to be going to the Dark Side.  Due to the fact that I will not publicly discuss the details of the many wedding party/family/friends/attire/guest list issues that have been going on in relation to our wedding, the most I can say is that I am truly puzzled by the fact that weddings (and maybe funerals?) have this weird ability to invoke such madness.

On the flip side, I am so thrilled that our wedding has also been responsible for renewed friendships (Britt & Holli - I'm love you both), much overdue vacations (Mariah, that's for you!), an excuse to talk to my sisters-in-law more, a chance for Ryan to spend a week with his cousins that he rarely ever sees, and so many wonderful things that have come from the hours and hours Pete and I have spent together planning the whole thing.

It really is a bit like a typical episode of Brothers & Sisters, now that I think about it.  There's a group of people who know each other too well and not at all, a lot drama, usually some secrets, some fighting, some laughing, some growing...and in the end, there's a lot of food and wine and a lot of love. That's what family (and friendships) are all about, right?  <3