Jim Root wrote: » Drink really brings out the worst in people
Sebastian Dangerfield wrote: » You're making a big assumption that it is comfort though. In any of my experiences, it has been anything but. Ive just wanted to go and comfort my family, and not sit in the cold for the benefit of strangers. I think I started this funeral talk so hopefully to close it, with an example of my reasoning. A cousin of mine passed away in a tragic accident, a young man in his early 20s. His parents and siblings were distraught beyond anything Ive seen, but held themselves together as best they could to get through the funeral. The one thing they asked was that people not pay their respects in person, they couldnt face it. It was announced by the priest at the mass, on the local radio announcement and even a sign on their front door that they ask people to hold off on passing on their sympathies. Did anyone listen? Did they fcuk. They were queuing as the priest asked them not to. There were endless knocks on the very door that had the sign. I even saw them cornered putting diesel in the car. My mother in law (about as old Ireland as it gets) talked about paying her respects. I told her as bluntly as I could not to, his mother was on the verge of a breakdown and just wanted to be left alone. She did it anyway, she said she couldn't let an event like that pass, despite knowing it would upset the recipient (which it did). Fond rememberance of an old person dying is all well and good, but there's a certain arrogance to think that acquaintances offering platitudes brings any comfort to a devastated family.
lawred2 wrote: » I'm not sure what honour has to do with it to be honest... Either way I'm speaking from the perspective of the grieving family shaking hands with a procession of people not the 'honourable' folk who stood in a queue.
odyssey06 wrote: » But I hope we haven't had anyone turn up at a funeral thinking it was a wedding!
Purple Mountain wrote: » Absolutely not. How honourable is it for people to stand in a queue in solidarity to take a few minutes to pay respect to the deceased and offer some little comfort to the family? I think it's an Irish custom that should never die.
odyssey06 wrote: » We've had people turn up at the wrong wedding. We've had people turn up at the wrong funeral. Most tragically, we've had weddings turn into funerals. But I hope we haven't had anyone turn up at a funeral thinking it was a wedding!
lawred2 wrote: » The queue to shake hands thing is horrible alright but I doubt it's uniquely Irish..
Mister Vain wrote: » A bit like the episode of Only Fools And Horses where Del and Rodney went to the wrong funeral.
HBC08 wrote: » I was at a cousins wedding with the other half,she hadnt met any of my extented family at the time. We were three drinks in before we realised we were at the wrong wedding. We also missed the actual wedding earlier that day because we couldnt find the church.
Ludikrus wrote: » A wedding I was at went off without a hitch and so did the reception. It was a really lovely upmarket hotel/lodge setup. Then, at about 5AM two guys smoking a spliff set off a fire alarm and the place had to be evacuated. Bride & groom, parents, everyone outside, half dressed and wrecked.
glenfieldman wrote: » Give a clue to the politicians involved
Notmything wrote: » Showed this thread to a colleague at work. She was at a wedding where the groom got steaming drunk, decided to relieve himself outside. Someone saw him n he panicked, up went the zip and he "caught himself" in it. Apparently there was blood everywhere n he staggers back into the reception clutching his bleeding bits and screaming for help. Those trying to help only made it worse. Ambulance called and he ended up in a+e. But he now has a cute scar on his knob. And it's a not so friendly reminder to his wife of her ruined wedding night.
Parachutes wrote: » How’d you manage that at all.
anewme wrote: » To be honest that reflects more on the best man. Would be same someone from Northern Ireland going to UK and best man saying they did it to get away from bombs. Stuff like that never lands well.
Parachutes wrote: » Then it came to the speeches and the best man (who only met her the week before or so) was joking about how she was only doing it for the visa and to get away from being shot in America, it was fairly tame stuff but they didn’t get the humour at all and nearly started a row over it. The bride was awful upset about the whole thing and blamed the family for ruining her wedding day. I
HBC08 wrote: » Great thread. I was groomsman at a wedding where one of the lads who was steamboats after the church herded a few sheep into the champagne reception. Sheep are more agressive than you think,while everyone (and the sheep) went mental he whipped down his trousers and played the grand piano with his bare arse cheeks.
lawred2 wrote: » I know that. But the poster specifically highlighted the procession of handshakes... And it is very Irish for every Tom, Dick and Harry to join that queue. There's no stories being told. I like the late night story telling where you're really only in the company of family and friends but there's a lot of horrible protocol to get through before that. Anyway, we're going off topic:)
