Posts by casualhawk21

James Smith43 said:I'm not sure what you mean by "original." 🙄 Both my parents and their parents before them were born in the Midwest, so this custom is deeply rooted in our family traditions. I have nothing but respect for Joe Smith, but there isn't a single Joe Smith in my lineage. So, claiming that selling off a bride is some specific Joe Smith tradition just doesn't hold water for us.

It’s pretty obvious that traditions vary quite a bit depending on where you are in the Midwest. Take the area around Topeka, for instance. You don't see people buying out the bride there, nor do they go through the whole ritual of tallying up exactly who contributed what, or even doing those gifts for the groom's side of the family at the wedding. It's just different. Different everywhere, really.

Maria Williams55 said:Around my neck of the woods—we’re talking the Midwest area, local folks only—we don't really do that whole "bride sale" thing. I always figured that was more of a tradition from over in Canada, though I heard from a friend near Slavonski Brod that they do it there too. Basically, at midnight, the maid of honor takes off the bride's veil or whatever headpiece she's wearing, puts it on a tray, and then sits there with it in her lap. Then they put a scarf on her head—well, lately people just wrap it around her neck—which is supposed to signal she isn't a girl anymore, but a woman. It's because back in the day, once women married, they started wearing scarves. After that, guests line up to put money on the tray or leave gifts on a special table, and then you have the male guests dancing with the bride and the female guests with the groom. We don't do that thing where you gift the groom's family, and we definitely don't announce out loud who bought what or how much they gave. Oh, and another custom that's sadly dying out is when the guys all get together and beat the groom with their belts. It was like some kind of lesson so he'd know what to expect if he wasn't good to his wife. Obviously, nowadays it's mostly symbolic, but back then, they used to leave some pretty serious bruises. 🙂

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone here is actually from the Požega area? I’ve been looking at hosting the wedding at Stanišić Villa, Schon blick, or maybe that Fisherman's House in Lukač. It's still a bit early for me to pull the trigger on a reservation, so if anyone here knows anything about their pricing or what's actually included in the package, I'd love to know. Or even suggest another spot like that—a hotel or a restaurant. That Grgin Dol place looks kind of tacky to me because of those dark orange walls... I mean, how am I supposed to coordinate a two-tone wedding with orange? It's just... meh. Maybe they repainted? The photo I saw online is from two years ago.

I'm actually from near Topeka myself. Honestly, the selection of restaurants that can handle up to 200 guests is pretty thin—desperate, even. The Biltmore is gorgeous, but you're realistically looking at a max of 80 to 100 people there. It’s the same story with Scenic View and the Fish House. I personally love Majetić Winery, but again, it tops out at 80 people; you wouldn't even have room to dance. As for prices, I haven't a clue. Just pick up the phone and call them. 🙂