Rant rant culture-clash rant
My future in-laws are driving me around the twist.
My fiance and I got engaged on March 22. That was *counts* four months, one week and five days ago. We talked about getting married in the fall. Great, wonderful. Only, we don't have a wedding date yet.
Why don't we have a wedding date? Because the future in-laws must get any chosen date astrologically approved. And they still haven't done it.
Now, this has nothing to do with them not liking me, and my rant has nothing to do with me not liking them. They love me, God knows why. They send me clothes, and books, and bindis, and they all take turns talking to me on the phone despite crappy connections, shaky English on some of their parts, and almost non-existent Tamil on mine. We all make an effort to understand one another. They're wonderful people. But they just don't get it. We wanted an October wedding, and due to the lack of anything like a specific date, I can't so much as order a dress (will I need a fall one, or a winter one?), much less get my family's minister booked (at least the temple doesn't need any prior arrangements; you just walk on in) or arrange for a hall or anything. We can't even send out invitations! How the *hell* are we supposed to manage this? I have no idea when we'll finally get a date; apparently the astrology-dude has been met with, at long last, but given everything my fiance tells me about lack of consciousness of deadlines in India, I wouldn't be surprised if he came up with the date of October 20th -- on November 23rd. I am tearing my hair out, I really am; I'm practically on the edge of tears every time I let myself think about it.
And all of this for the sake of an astrologically-auspicious wedding date. When neither my fiance nor I believe in astrology. I am so tempted to just grab him and run off to the justice of the peace and screw the fact that his parents want everything done right this time since their other son eloped, and screw the fact that my side of the family (dozens of whom would love to attend) would be hurt.
I've already ranted to my parents twice and my fiance twice (who's perfectly sympathetic and more than a little irritated also, but has no idea what to do but wait), so you all get the benefit this time in lieu of annoying them all further. Sorry.
My fiance and I got engaged on March 22. That was *counts* four months, one week and five days ago. We talked about getting married in the fall. Great, wonderful. Only, we don't have a wedding date yet.
Why don't we have a wedding date? Because the future in-laws must get any chosen date astrologically approved. And they still haven't done it.
Now, this has nothing to do with them not liking me, and my rant has nothing to do with me not liking them. They love me, God knows why. They send me clothes, and books, and bindis, and they all take turns talking to me on the phone despite crappy connections, shaky English on some of their parts, and almost non-existent Tamil on mine. We all make an effort to understand one another. They're wonderful people. But they just don't get it. We wanted an October wedding, and due to the lack of anything like a specific date, I can't so much as order a dress (will I need a fall one, or a winter one?), much less get my family's minister booked (at least the temple doesn't need any prior arrangements; you just walk on in) or arrange for a hall or anything. We can't even send out invitations! How the *hell* are we supposed to manage this? I have no idea when we'll finally get a date; apparently the astrology-dude has been met with, at long last, but given everything my fiance tells me about lack of consciousness of deadlines in India, I wouldn't be surprised if he came up with the date of October 20th -- on November 23rd. I am tearing my hair out, I really am; I'm practically on the edge of tears every time I let myself think about it.
And all of this for the sake of an astrologically-auspicious wedding date. When neither my fiance nor I believe in astrology. I am so tempted to just grab him and run off to the justice of the peace and screw the fact that his parents want everything done right this time since their other son eloped, and screw the fact that my side of the family (dozens of whom would love to attend) would be hurt.
I've already ranted to my parents twice and my fiance twice (who's perfectly sympathetic and more than a little irritated also, but has no idea what to do but wait), so you all get the benefit this time in lieu of annoying them all further. Sorry.