Kelly and Dave's 'Jack and Jill' Party

Paul Morrone |
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By Thomas Morrone CFP®, CPA

It used to be that when a couple was getting married, a month or two before the wedding the bride to be would have a bridal shower and the groom to be would have a stag party. At the bridal shower, the women would play various games throughout the event and the end was usually about watching the bride to be open the gifts with all the oohs and ahhs from the group as each gift was opened.

The new trend is wrapping the gifts with clear plastic wrap so the gifts are visible without the tearing of the paper and cutting of the ribbons. Much more efficient in my mind. On the other hand, the guys would usually have a night of drinking and eating with a raffle event to raise funds for the couple. The shower and stag parties still occur in most instances but a new trend has been the Jack and Jill party where the two are combined into one celebration. This is what Kelly and her fiancé David chose to do.

As we started to plan and discuss the venue options, Cathy and I considered hosting the party at our house on our front lawn under a large tent. Our concern was the weather and the date was September 9th so we had possible hot and humid conditions or even worse, rain. Even though we had those concerns we went ahead and were willing to accept the odds on the weather. Well, on the day of the event the weather was perfect even though hurricane Irma was ravaging the Florida Keys and most of southwest Florida. The tent had removable sides to provide protection from the wind which gave the setting a cozier feeling. Decorating the tables and the inside of the tent was a family affair with Cathy taking the lead assisted by her sister and brother in law, their daughter and our daughter in law. I just did what I was told to do. It all came together so beautifully and was quite impressive when complete. Kelly wanted a Tuscany theme so there were sunflowers everywhere, decorated wine bottles on each table and wine crates were used as back drops for pictures. With the blue table cloths and the white tent and chairs, it really looked beautiful. I had ordered hand rolled cigars from New York with their wedding date and names on the cigar label. Cathy ordered custom M & M candies with their wedding date printed on the M & M’s. It was quite the hoot.

When Kelly and David arrived, they could not believe the details that were considered regarding the decorations and planning for their party. As guests arrived and the buzz of conversations got louder the day continued to get better and better. It was great to see family and friends and to meet many new faces as well. Yard games were being played and laughter could be heard all around. To make it a little more interesting, we had a pizza truck on site that kept the pies coming to feed the hungry group. And pizzas we did eat. It was a day that encompassed a yearlong planning process and it went off without a hitch. It was a ton of work and coordination that we could not have done without the help of so many people and we are thankful for their efforts. Cathy did one heck of a job coordinating the event and it was all worth it in the end.

So, to Kelly and David, we hope you enjoyed your special “Jack and Jill “day.

Until the Next Tom’s Take…