In terms of weddings, you guys (Buffistas in general) do know there is a whole spectrum of choices in between eloping and nightmare weddings? When I was younger knew lots of people who ended doing doing the JP thing, followed by renting a bar or having a barbeque at the beach, or nibbles at the largest home of the two new sets of inlaws. (I also knew a couple from the Phillines who rented one of the large buildings at UCLA, had 3,000 wedding guests, and a 50 piece orchestra . So not pretending that modest, unpretentious was universal, or even the majority case - just not unknown.)

(Umm of course you do know. Just a way of pointing out the middle course was being omitted from the discussion.)

A friend of mine is doing power point in a new way - the only thing on her slides are things she grabbed from google images. they just illustrate on emphasize her point. sometimes shocking , sometimes funny. She is hoping more people remember what she talks about. and it is more fun to do

At least you aren't in Hawaii (don't say that often, do you?): they had a 5.3 earthquake and a hurricane threatening. That's pocalyptic.

GAK! Sara, I'm going there in three weeks!

Please to get all the 'pocalypses out of the way before I get there? 'Mkay?

Sophia, I'm so very sorry.

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Internal bra. You know, if I thought it would work long-term and lack complications, I'd be all over it.

This is a similar technique, but they use your own parts [link]

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Oh, this is priceless. Where can I get large enough hamster balls?!?!?

Neuter a fifty foot hamster?

I think a few weddings have been offered as more middle of the road examples, Daisy's comes to mind right off but I know that others have said in this discussion that they had pretty low key and happy making weddings.

Can I get some hivemind input?

I gather the economy is a bit rumbly of late. (I say "I gather," because now that I'm a bus rather than a car commuter, I'm not listening to as much NPR and therefore am getting less exposure to the news.) DH is worried that things are about to go pear-shaped in a big way, like a major long-term recession. Does this seem likely to y'all? If so, is it likely to be bad enough that people in their mid-30's should change the stock-bond balance of their 401(k)s? Bad enough that a person should hang onto his steady but underpaying public sector job when there's a chance of something with a much higher salary in a fairly stable corner of the private sector, and the raise would *really* come in handy for clearing some nasty debt left over from the LAST economic downturn?

I've been listening to this interview with Rebecca Mead author of One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding - now I feel as though I really must read it.

You can always go to an officiant, then announce that you are married three days later to a group of family and friends at your 50th birthday party. You will already have cake and gifts and a grooving party-vibe going and being able spring the happy surprise will be AWESOME.

Hey, worked for me!

My thinking is a recession is a fair possibility, but no one knows what the odds really are.

I could be wrong, as I don't follow the economic news super-close. There are a number of scary signs about our economy besides the sub-prime credit fiasco, but those other things have been scary for a while now, so who knows....

House prices around here are going down. There are a lot of homes in south Jersey that I could actually afford. I think I'ma buy a house. Fer reals this time.

Susan, I'm so very not an expert, but "underpaying public sector job", "much higher salary in a fairly stable corner of the private sector", and "clearing some nasty debt" sounds to me like, go for the higher-paying job.