I’m going to a friend’s wedding this Saturday in Hot Springs, Ark. She’s also part of my book club and I’ve known her for over three years. This is my first Arkansas wedding and I’m excited! I don’t know if there will be anything that makes it different from a Colorado or Irish wedding, but I’m looking forward to finding out.
I met Brooke (the bride) during a run – seriously. We were jogging at a boot camp class in Conway, Ark. and during the small talk and short breath, I found out she liked books. When we took a break for water, I told her I was part of a small book club. If she hadn’t been worn out from the jog, I think she would’ve done a front flip and a cartwheel. She was thrilled and asked if she could join. At that point, there were two other women besides me in the club. Since then, we’ve lost one to a job in Washington D.C., so I’m really glad I “ran” into her in Conway. Thankfully, Brooke lives in Bryant, so we won’t lose any more bookworms for a while. I have met her fiancé once, but it was brief and we only shouted some “hellos” through a car window. I’m looking forward to formally meeting him at the wedding.
Clearly, I know Brooke better, but it still didn’t make picking out a wedding gift any easier. I know she likes books and there are a lot of books about marriage, but I wanted to get them something they could both enjoy and not just collect dust. Parish and I received quite a few books when we got married and I treasure all of them. I have thumbed through most of them, but Parish was more excited about the Bed, Bath and Beyond gift cards and cold hard cash. I couldn’t blame him.
She registered at Target and the all-encompassing BB and B store mentioned one second ago. I knew from the beginning that I didn’t want to get her a gift card, even though we loved opening all the Hallmark cards to see a gift card attached. No, I decided to go old school and buy a real item or two and wrap it/them. I went online before I went shopping and conveniently found her list of items.
In between the sheets and towels, I picked out what I was going to get her and her future husband – a beautiful, 12 opening collage espresso frame. I’m a fan of photos and liked the design of the frame. I know most people just take photos with their phones or digital cameras and rarely get them developed, but nothing makes a house homier than photos of family, friends and recent nuptials. I walked around triple B for over an hour and picked up items from Yankee candles to stainless steel teapots and everything in between. I became mildly obsessed with getting the “perfect gift.” I wanted Brooke and her new husband to open up my gift and think, “Wow, Rebecca is so thoughtful and a great gift giver!” Then I realized…I was being selfish and more concerned about me than the newlyweds. Yuck! I shifted my focus and thought only of them and removed myself from the situation.
At the very moment, a BBB staff person asked if I was ready to check out. The madness had to stop – I shouted, “Yes,” and put the frame and a decorative gift bag on the counter. On my way home, I stopped at Target and bought them a fun board game. Clearly, selfish pride doesn’t go away.