To think these honeymoon parties sound daft

[Atlastatlastatlast]

Was listening to an Irish radio station this morning and apparently honeymoon parties are the latest thing. Bride and groom wait several days before heading off on honeymoon and on meantime bride has a honeymoon party for her girlfriends and everyone has to bring along a pressie for her related to the honeymoon.

Was someone having us all on or is this really a new thing?

I live in the US AND I'm an addict to those crappy reality TV bride programs.

NEVER EVER heard of it. It's NOT a 'thing' from the US, at least the area I live in, or anywhere that any of my friends have ever lived in or heard of.

I second being American and have never heard of this and practically every person I know has gotten married or is getting married this year. Tbf I find your week long hen and stag dos abroad a bit much, the most extravagant I’ve seen in the US is a weekend in Vegas, not endless themed crap and on the bottle for five straight days in Ibiza.

Bride and groom wait several days before heading off on honeymoon and on meantime bride has a honeymoon party for her girlfriends and everyone has to bring along a pressie for her related to the honeymoon.

Yeah but that's not even an actual thing. Inside the real world that is and not firmly ensconced in Cloud Fucking Cuckoo Land.
I speak as a married sensible person.

What kind of idiot would attend?

I've been to get-togethers, usually hosted by the Mother-of-the-bride, two days or the day after, the wedding.

They have been good. everyone gets a chance to talk to each other properly, meet family etc that have traveled to the Wedding. Speak to the couple, look at each others photos. The day passes in a bit of a whirl. Sometimes we've had a catch up when the photos are done, usually just the Women.

But there's been no extra present buying.

They sometimes have present openings in North America the day after the wedding. I assumed it wouldn't catch on in civilised counties because everyone would be too tired, hung-over or doing the walk of shame. Like you're supposed to after a wedding.

What kind of idiot would attend?

Idiots from Idiot Land.
Or People with more Money Than Sense Land.

I'm so fed up with all these pre and post wedding celebrations. Life used to be simpler. I have a feeling it will go full circle in the not too distant future and people will no longer feel pressured into ridiculous extra expense.

This is why I don't have friends.
Shit like this makes my eye twitch.

are these people made of money???? what with engagement party, hen or stag party, wedding, honeymoon and now honeymoon parties??? do they think their guests are all made of money????

Yay, something else I’ll never do but bankrupt myself over providing for everyone else

This is not a "thing" in America, and I have friends and family all over the country. There's enough shitty stuff to blame us for exporting without inventing more

The only thing I can think of is when people have travelled a long way they're often still around the morning after the wedding. We met up with 15-20 friends for brunch the morning after our wedding before we all headed to various airports/eurostar for our honeymoon.

I laughed when I read on here about school children getting the teacher 'beginning' of term presents. WTF?

"there is a “tradition” now that all the hens have to buy knickers to give the bride for her honeymoon"
Apart from the general madness in this, the words "tradition" and "now" should not go together :o

More grabbiness, it would be a no sorry from me. As if wedding aren't expensive enough, more reasons to extract presents and gifts.

After spending £500 on the whole wedding experience already. ( Hotel stay, drinks, hen nights, outfit etc)

Only the height of entitled would do this.

Plus I need a few down days after a big party.

It hasn't necessarily come from America, although that's possible of course. It is just the height of grabbiness and entitlement.

It is a grotesque idea and would get a polite (but very firm) NO from me.

Awful idea, hopefully very rare. I'd decline such an invite.

Sounds like an excuse for more presents to me!

I've never heard of that. It seems ridiculous. Weddings are getting out of hand again like in the Celtic tiger days. It's so tacky and vulgar. There is no need for a hen weekend, what's wrong with a night? Get rid of favors too. If you are around 30 you might have ten weddings a year, it's ridiculous and self centered to expect your guests to pay for all this.

Never heard of it either in ROI. Utter bollocks.

It’s all getting a bit batshit now isn’t it? Engagement parties (pointless unless you’re not getting married anytime soon which kind of makes being engaged pointless) - present grab

Baby shower - grabby

Wedding - why even ask for presents any more? It used to be to kit out your first home, surely most couples already have a kitted out home before the wedding now?

Prom - ugh just fuck off.

Now this? Fuck me, everyone seems to be under so much pressure to spend money and throw gifts at people for everything. What happened to spontaneity and not expecting?

It’s all very me, me, me. Yuck.

I've been to a couple of weddings where family and friends have flown home from all over to attend. Then the bride and groom's parents have parties in their homes for a couple of days afterwards so everyone in the family can catch up. The bride and groom pop in and go away a couple of days after the wedding.

I quite like that, though it's different I suppose because it's not focused on the couple.

www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/honeymoon-parties-the-latest-us-imposition-on-irish-weddings-1.3567957

Hope this link works, but this is an article from the Irish Times about Honeymoon Parties. According to it, it is an American import.

Just because some “journalist” in the Times gets together with some Hyde woman, (director of henparties.ie) and writes a column about it doesn’t make it a “thing”. Obviously Ms.Hyde would LIKE it to become a “thing” to have more market for her tat, but none of my colleagues have heard of them (and a lot of them are at that stage of life where they have multiple weddings to attend during the year).
So hopefully, it’s just a marketing ploy/no news day for journalist that’s going nowhere fast!