TW and I headed out to the farm for the weekly produce/dairy run and afterwards we stopped at Floyd’s Diner for dinner. We hadn’t been to Floyd’s for quite some time – since our stay in the Red Room for my birthday a few years ago. There’s nothing better than dinner at a diner, especially a diner that loves flamingos the way Floyd’s does.
We were seated outside, again, under the big pink tent right next to a very large group. I thought I’d seen a "happy birthday" cake on their present table as we’d walked by but I didn’t pay that much attention so we really weren’t sure what kind of party this was. Something with a cake and presents but not a kids birthday because the presents were not wrapped in anything that looked like children’s wrapping paper. The half dozen kids in attendance were at the end of one table and really not paying attention to anything except fiddling with silverware and such so again, an indication that this was not their party. There was a young man and young woman at the far end of the table. A 35 year oldish guy at the middle of the table and another 40ish guy on the other side of the table – the rest of the folks were women of various ages in various styles of dress.
Not much was going on at this party. The menus were looked at, folks were talking, some people leaving and others arriving. Then all of a sudden the 40ish guy stood up… and he had an envelope or something and started talking. We couldn’t hear very well but he was telling some anecdotal story or something about a bank. Huh? Does he run a bank and these are employees and their families?
He finished his little anecdote and handed the envelope to someone – like a prize. And then he proceeded to the present table with his 4 year oldish son… to hand out presents…. to what apparently were the stars of the party – the young couple at the end – either just married or getting married. A bridal shower… with men… so does that make it a wedding shower? or engagement party? Whatever that makes it, it was interesting.
What was more interesting was watching this man hand out gifts to this couple. He handed over one at a time, when they finished opening and appropriate cooing was done, he carefully took the gift back to the table and presented the next gift. He was running this party and his wife was paying absolutely no attention to any of this. What was his relationship with the couple? And since when do men run wedding showers/bridal showers/engagement parties????
This goes on for a good half hour. Finally gifts are done and the man then decides that since not everyone knows everyone that introductions should be made… (a little late there buddy)… he goes first and his name is Wilson. But the dude doesn’t realize that you’re suppose to claim your relationship to the bride/groom so we get no more info regarding how he’s related or why he is running the show. His wife says nothing because he introduced her to the group as his wife. Darn it. Everyone else provided their relationship to the couple, most of those we’d already figured out (mother of the bride, brother of the groom etc…).
We’re still wondering who this guy was, in relation to the couple, and when men started hosting these sorts of events.
Technorati Tags: genderroles, men, parties, bridalshower, engagementparty
Very curious indeed. And a welcome development — I like to see these things become less gender specific!
I don’t know Donna – I always thought I’d like to see things less gender specific – but that was like some twilight zone thing. The woman paying absolutely no attention at all to the goings on and looking at her watch and stuff while the guy fondled the gifts and well, it was weird.
I was troubled that I found it so odd but I did and still do. 🙂
Can you see HWSNBN running a bridal shower/engagement party while you sit off to the side with a drink?
who knows what was happening, and without knowing, impossible (but probably fun) to speculate.