my first bridal fair

This past weekend, I went to my first bridal fair. The timing was a bit soon after the engagement for my taste, but it was one of the only weekends in the past few months where my mom, my sister and I were all in the same place, so I thought the fair would be a good mother-daughter-sister bonding experience.

Bridal fairs, in case you haven't been, are events where local vendors show off their services, ranging from calligraphy for invitations to chocolate fondue fountains to videographers. They entice you with free goodies, like cake samples and sample favors, as well as special event discounts. Because this particular event was at the Four Seasons, they also served a lot of classy booze, such as champagne and chocolate martinis, whose purpose was probably to loosen up the soon-to-be-brides, making them more likely to open up their wallets. The aisles of fake smiles also help to sucker women in as merchants 'ooh' and 'aah' over the rock on your left hand, no matter what size it may be.

Luckily for me, I don't have a date yet, so vendors tended to congratulate me obligingly right before they scooted off to find a woman in a more desperate state of mind. Also, because the wedding likely won't be for another 9-12 months, I'm not overly concerned about keeping my girlish figure for the dress and could therefore enjoy the endless supply of shrimp cocktail, mini-paninis, ahi-tuna, and chocolate that everyone else was avoiding.

My mom was feeling a bit indulgent as well; she drank five glasses of champagne during the two hours that we were there. (Obviously, I did not inherit my alcohol deficiency from that side of the family.) She says that she wasn't drunk, but it was pretty clear from her constant chitter-chatter with random Four Seasons employees that she had too much to drink. When she asked one of those employees to bring her bags to her car -- a car that was parked downstairs in valet! -- my sister and I realized that we may have to find someone to watch her champagne consumption at the wedding reception. Maybe that person can do double-duty by watching her and Gary! Any takers?

Aside from stuffing my face and laughing at my mom, I did come away a little less ignorant about weddings. I'm hoping to take Gary at some point just so he can experience it too, even if the female to male ratio is strikingly high. There's one at the Drake sometime in March, so if any of you want to come (you should just for the food), come with us!