Do you believe families come together more for weddings or funerals?

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   krsharp05posted 12 years ago

   Do you believe families come together more for weddings or funerals?
   
   When people attend a wedding it seems that families sometimes segregate and become stressed out. On the other hand, when there is a funeral, families come together, bond and overcome previous issues. What do you think?

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   Mom Katposted 12 years ago

   Yeah, that's a tough one.  I think that people tend to come together more for funerals....
   I've seen people fly in or make long drives for weddings ~ depending on how close they are to the family member of the happy couple.
   But no matter what the relationship was like with the recently departed ~ most people make the trip for a funeral.  With everyone grieving it is easy to set aside petty differences and arguments because you share a common loss. 
   
   Isn't it sad that it takes losing someone dear to the hearts of so many to really pull a family together...
   
   Also ~ I think people are getting more skeptical and pessimistic, so when someone announces a wedding they don't always clear their schedule for it because death is permanent while marriage can be temporary ( it shouldn't be, but all too often these days it is)

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      teaches12345posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I think this sums it up nicely, Mom Kat.  I believe the closeness and personal relationships will motivate you to attend a funeral to express your condolences.

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   remanikiposted 12 years ago

   Yes, you are right in saying that families come together more for a funeral than for a wedding. They can always meet up with the newly weds later while they need to be there at a funeral to get a last glimpse of their beloved family member and the visit cannot be postponed.
   Bonding certainly improves when the family meets at a funeral and they are only too willing to sort out any old differences. Good question. Thank you.

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   sashenikainderbyposted 12 years ago

   I believe that people more come together for funerals than  weddings but I am hoping that I am wrong.

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   DDEposted 12 years ago

   I think more for funerals than weddings when someone dies in the family every one gets together and have deep conversations but  for weddings it is only the moment

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   MKayoposted 12 years ago

   That is a really good question and I'm not sure there is one answer that fits every family or situation. First, I think it depends on how families and individuals in families view marriage. Sadly, some families (and cultures) have devalued marriage and so some folks just don't place much importance on it. Other families (and cultures) place a high value on marriage still considering it to be a holy sacrament, a relationship to be cherished and respected.
   
   Death has not changed much from the beginning no matter how we view it. I agree with Mom Kat that people do tend to set their differences aside when attending a funeral. Of all the weddings and funerals I have attended over the years, it is much more likely that a family feud would spark up at a wedding.
   
   Perhaps it comes down to the individual and how they feel about a person. I have seen people fly or drive in from long distances to attend the wedding of someone they care about. I can't say the same about funerals, at least in my experience. Perhaps people attend weddings more because the couple will live on - and you have to get them that wedding gift and place it on the table to "prove" you actually attended the wedding, right?

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