Divorced Before 30 » weddings http://divorcedbefore30.com How to Make Friends with Your Brain and Move On Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:20:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Attending a Wedding After Your Divorce http://divorcedbefore30.com/2011/08/19/attending-a-wedding-after-your-divorce/ http://divorcedbefore30.com/2011/08/19/attending-a-wedding-after-your-divorce/#comments Sat, 20 Aug 2011 02:37:28 +0000 Emma http://divorcedbefore30.com/?p=1565 One of the scariest things after my divorce was the prospect of attending my first wedding. I had no idea how I might respond, especially since both the ceremony and the reception were held at the same venues where I’d had mine. After attending many weddings in the almost five years since my divorce, I’ve [...]]]> One of the scariest things after my divorce was the prospect of attending my first wedding. I had no idea how I might respond, especially since both the ceremony and the reception were held at the same venues where I’d had mine. After attending many weddings in the almost five years since my divorce, I’ve come up with a few tips for the recently separated or divorced:

  • Be prepared for emotions. The possibilities are endless, really: Sadness, inadequacy, guilt, jealousy. Carry tissues. Weddings can be emotional enough under normal circumstances.
  • Come up with a canned—and tactful—response to the inevitable questions about what’s new in your life. Chances are good that you’ll bump into wedding guests who don’t know about your divorce.
  • If you’re going through a bitter, cynical stage, keep it to yourself. Appropriate comment: “Wow, they look so happy.” Inappropriate comment: “Well, they’ve got a 50/50 shot.”
  • Go easy on the drinking. You may think that getting drunk will make it easier or more fun, but news flash: Alcohol is a depressant, and the last thing you need (I think) is to end up crying in your beer and/or making out with the bride’s cousin on the dance floor. Unless that’s what you’re going for.
  • Try to have fun. Eat cake. I don’t know about you, but good frosting makes me happy. Dance if that’s your thing. Take lots of photos to send to the newlyweds.
  • Cut yourself some slack. It’s normal to turn into an over-thinking, self-conscious mess under these circumstances.

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How about you? I’m curious to hear about your post-divorce wedding experiences. Do you have any tips to add to the list? Any good stories?

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