Father Doesn’t Know Best
My father was determined his band would perform at our wedding, despite the fact my wife and I did NOT want hi to. No matter how often we told him no, he was relentless to have his band play at our reception. Eventually, he attempted a way worse approach.
One day, he offered to foot the bill for our honeymoon, an amazing cruise to Mexico. Along with this generous offer, though, he slipped in yet another request for his band to play at our wedding. We finally caved in, and said the band could perform at the reception hall during the two-hour gap between our wedding and the reception.
Our ceremony was scheduled for 3 PM with the reception to follow at 5 PM. We figured my dad’s band could keep guests entertained while they waited for our arrival at the reception hall. Refreshments were available for those who left the ceremony for the hall.
While we were occupied with post-ceremony pictures, I decided to check in with a friend at the hall to see how my dad’s band was doing…only to hear that they weren’t playing despite us giving them permission to during that period.
So, as far as I was aware, my dad’s band wouldn’t be performing. I’ve never been so wrong. First, when we got to the reception hall we say that my mom had taken it upon herself to move everything around during our absence.
Our meticulously planned table arrangements and seating order were all out of place. Naturally, my wife was super upset. There are actually many photos of the exact moment both our faces fell as we discovered the changes. But it wasn’t over yet.
As the reception got into full swing, my dad approached us AGAIN, looking to negotiate a slot for his band, even though we had a DJ on hire. I firmly told him it wasn’t happening. he didn’t listen. Whether it was during dinner, the best man’s toast, or our first dance, his one-track mind was on his band’s performance.
Tensions escalated to the point my best man and my dad got into a heated argument over the band’s performance. Here’s the kicker. The band hadn’t even arrived yet! Then, when they eventually did, they brought along their entire families.
Finally, a few hours into the reception, I caved again. I told my dad his band could play what they wanted, and my wife and I promptly left. Oh, and ANOTHER twist: Despite all this fuss, my father wasn’t even a performer in the band. He wrote their songs.
It took half a decade before my wife felt comfortable enough to be in the same room as my dad again.Then there’s the matter of that honeymoon. My dad only paid the initial deposit of $500, not the entirety as he suggested, which was quite the unpleasant surprise.