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Perfect day for a wedding
Valentine's Day is here, which means many things. Millions of cards will be sent through the mail; chocolate will be purchased by the ton and husbands and boyfriends will be shopping frantically for the perfect card and the biggest box of chocolate all day today.
Even more connected to Valentine's Day is romance. In addition to serving as a prime backdrop for proposals, Valentine's Day is also a favorite for weddings. That's a lot of rice.
If you already have three weddings marked on your calendar for this year, take heart: There are more than 2.3 million weddings a year in the United States or roughly 6,400 weddings a day. Even if you attend only a fraction of these ceremonies, you're going to buying a lot of toasters.
(Do you have problems thinking of an appropriate and thoughtful wedding gift? Here's a novel idea: Buy something you would want to receive and it doesn't have to be as extravagant as a Caribbean Cruise.)
Not ironically, the top wedding state is Nevada. If you ever have the chance to attend a wedding in Las Vegas, jump at the chance because it's an experience you will never forget. No where else will you get to attend a ceremony based on the number system. Lost your number? Go to the back of the line. Didn't bring flower? A variety of bouquets are available in the gift shop. Think you have cold feet? Just look around for support from the dozen other couples waiting in line.
Of course, half of those 75 weddings likely involve people who arrive sober, spent a few hours receiving free drinks in the casino and flew out with a hangover wondering what just happened to them.
One problem does arise with a Vegas wedding and I have seen it firsthand. There are numerous distractions.
For those who have never visited Vegas, women dancing without an appropriate amount of clothing is a popular business and one frequented by the male visitors. Members of a wedding party should be advised to stay away from these establishments for at least four hours prior to the ceremony -- if not for the entire trip.
The one and only Vegas wedding I have witnessed was overshadowed by the absence of members of the wedding party, who overstayed their welcome at a certain "establishment" the night before.
Second on the list of highest number of weddings per capita is Hawaii. Again, not surprising since weddings are easier in Hawaii. You don't need those painful high-heeled shoes on the beach and the flowers need be no more complicated than a lei for everyone in attendance.
Following in a close third place with 15 marriages for every 1,000 people is Arkansas. No one I know elopes to Arkansas. No one I know takes their wedding party for a romantic beach front ceremony in Arkansas. I don't want to get into stereotypes, but how many of these marriages actually cause the family tree to branch out or is it still a stick?
On an unValentine-related note, McCook followed me all the way to Omaha last weekend.
As I paid for gas for the return trip home, the cashier asked where I was headed. After telling him McCook, I asked if he knew where that was.
"Oh, sure," he replied. "That's the warm spot in the state." "You know the place?" I asked.
"Yeah, we've got a guy that comes in here everyday for morning coffee. And the first thing out of his mouth is McCook's temperature and if McCook had the high in the state yesterday. The guy never misses a day."
-- Ronda Graff has been married to her first husband for more than seven years and doesn't plan to need a trip to 'Vegas anytime soon.