#316: "newbie mistakes" series, post #2: what? it's taboo? oops.

post #1

i like to call myself 'street smart'. it's probably because my report cards proved i wasn't 'book smart' and i had to explain to someone *coughstrictparentscough* at some point that i had some type of intellectual capacity. regardless of why, over the years, i've come to actually believe that i really am 'street smart'. and by 'street smart', i mean i have some seriously powerful gifts of common sense...tact...and intuition.

but i must have missed something somewhere.

i was chit chatting with one of my friends who was preparing for her wedding last year when i grandly stuck my foot (shoe and all) into my mouth and asked...

"dude. how much is this wedding costing ya?"
her answer was "um...um...i'm not sure...um..."

oops.

at first, i believed her and really thought she didn't know. but after giving it another go around in my head, i realized that there's no way someone as meticulous as she is doesn't know how much money she's dropping. in fact, she probably had it calculated all the way down to the various flowers in my bridesmaid bouquet.

in part due to the fact that i made my friend so uncomfortable and in part due to the fact that i'm planning my own wedding (and will inevitably get asked this question and predict that i will be just as uncomfortable), i now understand that it's SO NOT OKAY to ask about someone's budget.

oops.

so...the advice here is two-fold.

1) if you're not yet engaged but have friends who are getting married, don't ever ask about their budget.
2) if you're newly engaged, be prepared with smartly disguised answers should newbies who don't know any better ask you about your budget.

p.s. so if i'm not book smart...and my street smarts are questionable...um...