While We're On the Subject

I'll never forget the first time I got a wedding invitation as an adult. I was in college. I discovered a rather heavy, ivory envelope with the bills and junk mail. My name and address on the outside so fancy, I had a moments pause about disturbing any part of this. It was a bit like not wanting to cut a pretty cake.

I opened it and too my complete bewilderment found another envelope. Huh...This one also had my name prettily printed on it. I had another moment's pause. This time when I opened the envelope I found a piece of tissue paper. Whatever was in here must be fragile if in required doubled envelopes and tissue paper. I pondered the tissue paper a while and then very carefully set it aside. I wasn't sure if I'd need it again.

I slipped the invitation out, finally. It was pretty. I ran my hand over the raised inked and then wondered if it was supposed to be touched, the tissue paper must have a purpose, right? Low and behold there was another envelope. This one was smaller. They had been increasingly smaller like nesting dolls come to think of it. This one had an address and a stamp on it. I understood that it was an Rsvp card, but I wasn't 100% how to fill it in, it seemed like there were rules I didn't know (I had no idea how right I was).

I couldn't go to that wedding or any that took place at home while I was away at college, but that first invitation is vivid in my memory. I saved it beyond moving out of the dorms. It seemed to fancy to discard. I put all the remaining pieces back even the tissue paper. Years later even after the couple was no longer married I remember struggling to throw it away as I made yet another move.