The Art Of Being Awkward

Over the weekend, I attended the wedding of a couple of my friends.  It was only the second wedding I'd been to (not counting my parents' 25th anniversary), so it was a little unfamiliar to me in terms of social behaviour, especially since I was there by myself.
The ceremony was held at a local park, which was nice for scenery, but unfortunately, it rained a bit.  Luckily, the sun started to come out by the end.  After that, we went inside for light refreshments and mingling.  I was glad to see a lot of people I knew there, and it kept me from feeling completely over my head.  I got to talk to a lot of friends I hadn't seen in years, which seems to have refreshed my spirits nicely.  I was especially excited to see an old friend from high school and meet his wife and their new baby.  I actually felt a strong urge to hold the baby, but I never got the chance.  I think it's better that way, or else I may have embarrassed myself fawning over that adorable little girl.  I also ended up meeting some excellent new friends, a couple of whom had come all the way from California!  I was also intrigued by another young lady who seemed to find anything I did very amusing. (in a nice way, of course)  At one point, I just passed by and waved and she burst out laughing.  We spent a fair amount of time talking about mutual awkwardness, and things of that nature.  Unfortunately, I found out later that she was dating another friend of mine, not to mention she was about ten years younger than me.  In any case, I aim to spend more time with her (or others like her) in the future.

This should give you some idea of what my friends are like

After dinner and the speeches came the traditional bouquet toss, which I can confirm is pretty much as Lorraine described it here.  There was no garter toss (which wasn't actually that surprising to me; it's just the way they are), which was  actually kind of nice since it meant I wasn't singled out.  (no pun intended) 

And then there was dancing, which I enjoyed.  In fact, I was somewhat known for my wild dance moves back in high school, so it was fun to get out there and bust a move again.  Strangely, the DJ apparently refused to play any slow songs, which was a serious bummer, since Hat Girl (more about her later) wanted to dance with me.  I did end up talking to her for a while though.  (again, more about that later)

In all, it was a fun night, and I was glad to be invited.  Being reminded of my marital status was a slight downer, but seeing how happy my friends were to be married quickly removed those sad feelings.  I've made some new friends out of the deal as well, and hopefully there will be future adventures with them.

Next time:  the origin of Hat Girl