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Manners Matter: Wedding Worries

Dear Mary Pat,

My nephew is getting married this weekend in his parents’ backyard. I have two concerns. One is that it’s been raining so much, and I don’t know how we aren’t going to sink into the ground. The other is that my brother told me that they are only going to have porta-potties because they don’t want all their guests going through the house with muddy shoes to use the regular bathrooms. Come to think of it, I have a third concern: What do I possibly wear? I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking this way. I don’t want to be ankle-deep in mud, using an outdoor bathroom, and wearing clothes and shoes that will be ruined by the weather. 

Signed,

Anxious Aunt

Dear Anxious Aunt,

Outdoor weddings are beautiful when the weather cooperates. They will hopefully have some contingency plans in place in case of poor weather. They will surely have a tent and maybe even put an outdoor rug or bark chips down.

I wouldn’t wear your best shoes to this wedding. Wear a wedge or flats so that your shoes don’t sink. You might want to have a backup plan for your outfit, too. Maybe wear a dress to the ceremony but change after dinner if you will be taking trips to the porta-potties. It’s not convenient to be wrestling with pantyhose and a dress while trying to take care of business in a plastic outdoor toilet. I hope they pop for the nicer model with the sink and throw in a few battery-operated lanterns so that you aren’t in the dark. As the aunt, can’t you get VIP access to the house?

My advice is to pack several shoe options so that you can change when it’s appropriate. Also take a wrap for when the temperature drops, an umbrella and a good attitude. You can’t control the weather, and you just have to go with whatever happens.

Good luck,

Mary Pat