Fund-raisers
1999 Archive 2000 Archive
I have a wedding-fundraiser story to share.
Perhaps this practice is a 'regional thing', but I'd never heard of this before. My fiancé
& I were invited to a "stag n' drag" three states away (in his former
hometown - he graduated several years ago and relocated here, but still keeps in contact
w/ his friends 'back home'). My fiancé informed me that a "stag n' drag" is a
bachelor party where girls are invited. After the festivities, the boys take the groom
away for a night of debauchery, and the girls go bar-hopping.
Anyway, after driving for four hours, stopping at his parent's house to change, we find
the hall, are met by the best man, who jokingly demands $20 admission fee. My
fiancé pays,
and we enter. We are the only ones to bring a gift. The potluck food was wonderful, beer
was free, and they'd done a nice job of decorating. Then, the festivities begin. The
groomsmen start wandering around, selling raffle tickets at 1 or 2 dollars a piece. They
ridicule anyone not willing to buy more than 5. There were probably 8 different raffles,
so my fiancé threw about 80 bucks at them. There was also a game called 'tips', which I'd
never heard of, also a dollar to play. We played several of these too. When the raffle
winners were being called, my fiancé and I were excited to learn we had won a gift
certificate to the local booze store. The bride's mother leans over, and informs me
quietly the usual practice is to donate all the winnings to the happy couple. So we do.
Apparently, they came outta there with a nice chunk of change.
Then, we learn that the brides' attendants haven't planned anything for her while her
fiancé goes to the strip clubs. So, my fiancé and I decide that I will throw her a little
bachelorette party. We run all over town, getting a tee-shirt and decorating it, and all
the other fun stuff.
Then, it's time for the bride and groom to go their separate ways. We all go to a bar
together first. The groomsmen keep handing the poor groom shots, whereupon he vomits
copiously all over the bar. The guys get him outta there, while the wife of one of the
groomsmen and I pay for a round for all the patrons (they were ready to kick butt!). They
take him to the strip clubs, and I take the bride and the best man's wife out for a
night on the town. We hit two bars, and the bride is ready to go home. Fine with me, I'm
completely tapped out!
Fast-forward three months to our turn, the groom in the above story balked about
attending my fiancé's bachelor party, claiming no fundage, which hurt my fiancé's
feelings (he did end up coming). The bride didn't attend my shower held in their town,
never heard from her. fundraiser1006-00
I was invited to a grad school classmate's
wedding. I knew her fairly well, but wouldn't necessarily consider her part of my inner
sanctum. Anyways, starting about three or four months before the big day, I started
receiving letters about once a month from the cousin of the bride-to-be, which had
obviously been sent to everyone on the invitation list. They began, "Hey guys, I had
a great idea! Let's throw a candle shower for X and Y (the bride and groom)" and
enclosed in the letter were order forms from this Mary-Kay-ish candle company, and she
also made sure to request that we "remember to put my name on the 'referred by' blank
on the order form!"
Nothing like hitting up complete strangers to turn a family member's wedding into a
personal fundraising opportunity! I elected NOT to purchase a candle.
fundraiser1209-00
Page Last Updated September 15, 2008
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