13 May 2009

Empty Seats

Everything for the wedding is really going smoothly, even though we’re only a week and a half away.  Maybe it’s because there are some things I’m just not remembering, I dunno, but I feel pretty calm about the whole thing.  My sister and brother-in-law arrive on Saturday, my parents get here Tuesday night, and then on Thursday things really pick up with my brother, Jose’s mom and Jose’s brother all getting into town.

Amidst all that happiness, there is one thing that makes me a little sad.  It’s the people who can’t make it.  We made a very concerted effort to limit our guest list to family and very close friends, and I expected (perhaps naively) that most people would attend.  And really, most people are, but there are a few that surprised me.

Half of my high school friends won’t be there, due to a variety of reasons from the cost of plane tickets (for what’s now a family of four) to not being able to get off work at the hospital (for my med student friend).  And three of my college friends are coming without their significant other/husband/kids (though it could be argued that Christina is bringing a child, albeit one that hasn’t been born yet).

And of course I previously mentioned that neither of my grandmothers will be in attendance.  This one makes me particularly sad, especially since they were both at my sister’s wedding 4 years ago.  But 4 years is a long time.  My grandmothers are now 89 and 94 years old, and both have moved into some form of assisted living in these past few years.  The only way they could come to the wedding is if the wedding was held near where they live, and that didn’t make sense.  The worst part is that neither one of them has even met Jose, due to a number of factors.  I hope to fix that by the end of the year, but it’s still a bit of a downer.

So there are some people who won’t be there.  On the flip side, there are 92 adults and 10 kids who WILL be there.  Let’s party!  :-)

Archived in the category: Uncategorized
Posted by: Sarah

3 comments for “Empty Seats”

1
becca on May 13th, 2009 at 7:52 pm

I think 102 is an amazing turn out (didn’t you only invite 125 or so?) I mean its always sad when someone you want to be there doesn’t come. My grandparents are only in their early 70s and very mobile, unfortunately no one had the heart to tell me until after the wedding was scheduled that they wouldn’t come to Mexico because its a “scary” country or something but would have happily gone to Vegas, or we might have reconsidered the destination to accomodate them. Luckily the Koharts turned out in overwhelming force so it made up for the more travel-shy other half of my family.

2
Jennifer on May 14th, 2009 at 1:33 pm

You do have a great turnout. I wish my Grandma had lived long enough to see me engaged. She only missed it by a month or two. For that reason, I wish we’d gotten engaged sooner.

I won’t have much family there, but I knew that was a cost when I moved to Seattle. Still, I wish I could teleport some loved ones in.

3
Cayce on May 18th, 2009 at 2:17 pm

Let it be said that those of us who are missing it are equally sad. :( Dave and I looked into ditching the two newest members of the Utley family at my folks’, but recent medical dramas have really kicked our budget’s butt. This is a once-in-a-lifetime shindig and I can’t believe we won’t be there! But G and the Holmes’ have promised lots of pictures, and being able to read this blog has made me feel part of the wedding planning.

Wuv U! (and Jose by extention!)