Millsaps Marriage Madness

Now that I am trying to write about Brian and Kathleen's wedding weekend, I realize that it's impossible for me to describe every beautiful, crazy, drunken detail. But, I'm going to do the best that I can.

Millsaps College students and graduates are like no other people I have ever met nor will ever meet in the future. They are all a little...different. They're all fucking brilliant in their own ways...whether they're studying journalism (like the bride), pursuing a career in the medical field (like the groom and best man), or theatre, art, philosophy, etc. These people function and think on a different level than us public university people. Not more intelligent, but different...as in 99% of my friends that I graduated college with will never be chemists and 99% of these Millsapians will never work in agriculture. Millsaps is also like the most tight nit family you can imagine. They do everything together and only with each other. No outsiders aloud. Period. Or at least that's what it feels like.

The bride and I in the Corinth High School Beauty Revue

Fortunately for me, I knew several people from high school that went to Millsaps and somehow, fit in quite well. It definitely wasn't due to the size of my brain. But we do have something in common: we all know how to fucking party. And this Millsaps marriage madness weekend was no different.

Dessert Reception Friday night. River Hills Country Club in Jackson, MS. Wine and macaroons. Too much wine. A few toasts and tears...yadda yadda. Ok, so bypass all of that and now on to the wedding day.

The wedding was held outside at the Mississippi Museum of Art in downtown Jackson. I had been dreading this day for months...an outside wedding, in Jackson, at the end of May. The forecast was calling for 98 degree weather--no breeze. Fuck my life. If there is one thing that I hate, it's being hot and sweaty. My bangs get all sweaty and curl up and make me look like white trash, and I get a killer sweat stash on my upper lip. Well, as I suspected, this was happening while I was furiously fanning myself (Thank the good Lord in Heaven that the bride was thoughtful enough to provide fans)and waiting on the ceremony to start. But I wasn't the only one...the brother and boyfriend of the best man were soaked in sweat. It was beyond gross.

My bitching suddenly stopped as the ceremony began and I became overwhelmed with tears and happiness for my two friends tying the knot. It was one of the most personal, beautiful weddings I've ever attended. We were surrounded by vibrant flowers that matched the bridesmaids dresses and ribbons hanging from the trees and serenaded by a trio of stringed instruments. The groom's grandfather served as the preacher and had a way with words like no other wedding official. He made everything so personal and special and brought everyone together--not just the bride and groom. He spoke of all of the different kinds of love and how love is often misused in the English language...instead of just loving your husband with all of your heart, you also love bacon. He didn't say that, but that's how I interpreted it at least. Kathleen and Brian also wrote their own vows which made me just about lose it. Kathleen's were written so eloquently. I mean, she is a the feature editor of The Jackson Free Press. She cried and choked out her vows which of course made me a complete wreck. It was all I could do not to ruin my makeup along with my sweat drenched bangs.

Photo booth

Immediately following the wedding, we headed in to the art museum to celebrate the marriage of two wonderful, dear friends. The reception was surprisingly tame. There was the usual bad dancing, lots of free wine and beer, great appetizers, and expected "So, what are you doing with your life?" conversations.

Fast forward to 9:00 Sunday morning. Worst hangover I've experienced in my adult drinking life. I haven't felt like that since I drank 6 Smirnoff Green Apples and had to be carried from the car in to my mother's house my sophomore year oh high school. The rest of the night is kind of a blur. My shoe fell apart. Doesn't that always happen at weddings? Fucking F Jones does it every time. And the wine glass full of vodka and full throttle energy drink at the hotel bar probably didn't help my cause either...or the wine, beer, red bull and vodka, and shots. I left Memphis Friday afternoon with $250 and made it back with $12. No debit card, remember? Which is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me in retrospect. There's no telling how much money I would have blown after the wedding.

Here are some of the texts I received from various wedding goers on my absolutely miserable, pukey drive back to Memphis. This should sum up the shit show of a night.


"I'm pretty sure all I lost last night was sixty bucks worth of weed...and all traces of dignity."

"Hey girl. Who was that cougar that hollered at me at the wedding?"

"You should go get a filet-o-fish. Just changed my life. I don't know how you drove this morning."

"Poppin bottles."

XOXO,

Honey


http://www.fjonescorner.com/
ttp://www.msmuseumart.org/