Do You Think This Really Happened?

[tangomonster]

In Dear Abby's column today, a man wrote about attending a family member's wedding. During the ceremony, people noted that the groom's name was not Dave as the invitations stated; now it was Steve. When people asked, the bride's mom acknowledged that Dave backed out of the wedding two weeks earlier so the bride asked her friend Steve to marry her (he agreed since he didn't have anything planned for the weekend). Three weeks later, the marriage was over. The bride retained the gifts.

I've heard about Bridezillas, of course, and I know that weddings have become a major production that becomes complicated and costly to cancel (my SIL was actually guilty of this and went through with her wedding....three weeks after her fiancee tried to commit suicide! You can guess how that marriage ended not long thereafter). I even heard about a jilted bride-to-be marrying herself. And of course we heard about some celebrity's overnight marriage (maybe Britney Spears?). But would a "regular person" in normal mental health marry a stand-in, just to have the party of the ceremony and reception? Or to get a lot of gifts?

Think Dear Abby's writers have an overactive imagination and are just trying to write good copy?

Dear Abby: Couple stunned at wedding by bride's different groom | Philadelphia Daily News | 11/18/2008

 

[Walt34]

Nothing that people do amazes me anymore.

 

[bbbamI]

Ditto Walt....

People used to get towels, toasters and blenders for wedding gifts. Now everyone is registered so that they can show you want they want. They don't have to worry about duplicates, cheap stuff or the wrong color.

It still ain't worth looking like an @ss IMO. A human has plenty of other chances to do that....

 

[TromboneAl]

My guess is that the only false part was "he agreed since he didn't have anything planned for the weekend." Heidi gets jilted and cries on Steve's shoulder. In a weak moment of compassion and horniness, Steve says "I'll marry you!"

 

[free4now]

A relative of mine married a man she had known for less than a year. While arranging a financial wedding gift to her, I tried to structure it so that it would be in her name just in case the marriage didn't last. While discussing it with her, before the wedding, I remember trying to be extremely delicate in discussing the possibility that the marriage wouldn't work out. Her reply was so nonchalant that it caught me off guard: "No, that's a good idea to structure it that way, since I'm not really sure this is going to work out myself". I just bit my tongue.

The marriage lasted less than 6 months before separation plans started being hatched. But the wedding was a great party!

 

[CuppaJoe]

Hey, the marriage with Steve may have had, say, a 40% chance of surviving which would be not much worse than the odds with Dave.

I remember a guy from my hometown who married someone who was pregnant with someone else's child. We called him "Shakespeare" and the marriage lasted.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

thank god americans stopped gay people from entering holy matrimony. boy would that screw things up.

 

[Khan]

thank god americans won't let those gay people marry. boy would that screw things up.

Yeah, would probably raise that 50% failure rate.

 

[REWahoo]

I remember a guy from my hometown who married someone who was pregnant with someone else's child. We called him "Shakespeare" and the marriage lasted.

My nephew did that. I called him "Dumb@ss" and the marriage failed. Guess I should have gone with "Shakespeare"...

 

[Nords]

My nephew did that. I called him "Dumb@ss" and the marriage failed. Guess I should have gone with "Shakespeare"...

Did you say that in front of his spouse, or did she figure it out for herself?

I know a guy who first met his future wife when she was already pregnant. Five years later that's the oldest of "their" three kids.

 

[travelover]

thank god americans stopped gay people from entering holy matrimony. boy would that screw things up.

Passage of Proposal 8 in California really ticked me off. Why shouldn't gays have to suffer with marriage like straights do?

 

[Urchina]

I saw a photo of a great sign at a protest of Proposition 8 -- it said "My brother's been married twice. How come I can't get married once?"

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Passage of Proposal 8 in California really ticked me off. Why shouldn't gays have to suffer with marriage like straights do?

Maybe it pissed people off a few judges overruled the thoughts of many

 

[freebird5825]

...I remember a guy from my hometown who married someone who was pregnant with someone else's child. We called him "Shakespeare" and the marriage lasted.

ummmmmmm.......i don't get the Shakespeare thing.

To be or not to be, that is the question;
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

could someone explain it, pleeeeeeezzzzz?

 

[Khan]

Maybe it pissed people off a few judges overruled the thoughts of many

Equally despicable decisions:

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)

Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967)

Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965)

 

[TromboneAl]

Wow, literary crowd. I didn't get the Shakespeare reference either, but Google helped me out:

Biography - The Wife of William Shakespeare Marriage to Anne Hathaway

 

[David1961]

thank god americans stopped gay people from entering holy matrimony. boy would that screw things up.

Many people say that allowing gays to marry will destroy the sanctity of marriage. But aren't heterosexuals doing a pretty good job of that by themselves?

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

Maybe it pissed people off a few judges overruled the thoughts of many

tyranny of the masses.

 

[freebird5825]

Wow, literary crowd. I didn't get the Shakespeare reference either, but Google helped me out:

Biography - The Wife of William Shakespeare Marriage to Anne Hathaway

so does that make the Bard the first recorded "boy toy" ?

 

[Gardnr]

Three weeks later, the marriage was over. The bride retained the gifts.

Nope, unfortunately I'm not surprised. Greed and lack of integrity has become quite wide spread lately, haven't you noticed?

She just couldn't stand to see all those gifts go away!

Rather sleazy, eh?

 

[Sarah in SC]

I think a lot of those Dear Abby's are fake, but then again, I may be overestimating the general public.

 

[Khan]

Nope, unfortunately I'm not surprised. Greed and lack of integrity has become quite wide spread lately, haven't you noticed?

She just couldn't stand to see all those gifts go away!

Rather sleazy, eh?

Something I've wondered about: when same sex marriages become standard (and I hope they will) will there be marriages with two bridezillas?

 

[Sarah in SC]

Yes, Khan. My friends had just such an event a few years ago. Lord, that was a mess. Those two girls were a freaking nightmare for weeks! They are still together, but I have no idea how. Jeez!

 

[HFWR]

Dear Abby, Dear Abby,
Well I never thought
That me and my girlfriend
Would ever get caught

We were sittin' in the backseat
Just shootin' the breeze
With her hair up in curlers
And her pants to her knees

Signed, Just Married

John Prine

 

[Sarah in SC]

Well I guess they oughta name a drink after you....