Wedding Bells.. er.. Bugs?

Just yesterday, my brother's girlfriend (of 2 and a half years) graduated from high school. He's a 20-yr-old I-don't-think-I-like-college student, she's an 18-yr-old artsy person who is undecided as to the need for higher education. He's been working at this restaraunt for a while now, and has really impressed upper management. Really impressed--he's worked there about 2 years and has the vice president of the company wanting him working for him, and other top earners in this franchise thing. The idea is to get him a store to manage or "operate" and eventually get him to "own" a store, hiring his own managers, then to buy more. He can't decide if he should stay in school and get a business degree or just go ahead with work now.

His girlfriend has now just graduated, and isn't sure if she wants to go to school much less where. She's generally artistically inclined so has thought about art school and photography--but she's limited herself to being where my brother is. Meaning, she would go to a community college where his university was to be near him because she didn't have the credits to get in. But she's also somewhat restrained by her parents, who can't decide if they're going to help her pay for college or not. She happens to work as a waitress for the same chain as my brother.

So that's who they are... their relationship has been awkward for a while because she's been going to school here while he's been away, only visiting on some (not even most) weekends. Last summer he was gone entirely touring with a drum corps, and this summer he and she both were planning to participate in a smaller local one this summer, but since he might have mono now, that looks like it might not happen.

Anyway, it's pretty easy to tell what's going on now... they're young, she is absolutely obsessed with him. I figure they should get married since they want to start pretending that they are anyway. But now the girl... she has been planning her wedding from birth, I think. She showed me 'her dress' when I was over for Thanksgiving.. maybe even before that. She has flowers picked out, half the logistics planned... it's bizarre.

But now that's she's graduated, that has all stepped up a notch, it seems. Last night I thought I asked her if they were really 'officially' getting married--meaning he proposed etc.,--and I think the answer was no... but the rest of the evening was spent discussing her wedding plans. She has signed up for a wedding registry, even setting a date for September 21. She has visited a custom dress maker about the dress (which is a $2700 dress retail, btw, that she's going to try to get made) and has an estimate on the cost of labor ($600) and fabric (it's imported, you don't want to know). She has picked out flower girl dresses, the flowers and what kind of bouquet she wants, a cake... oh and she has this all in a little book she's made. She has definitely put some thought into this...

I really don't know what to say... it's kind of weird. At the moment, she's trying to decide what she wants "released" on the big day. She's into "fairies" if you know what I mean... Tinkerbell, Midsummernight's Dream, and I think butterflies were her insect of choice. Some people who know me know that I'm deathly afraid of butterflies (I'm getting over it, but very slowly) due to being attacked by one as a young child. So as a courtesy to me she's said she won't have butterflies, but she can't stop mentioning it. Until I mentioned that butterflies actually have scales--that powdery stuff, it's not dust, but scales. Her next choice is 'fireflies.' Fireflies are actually beetles, did you know that? Yet her only problem is that if she had them in jars, they kind of take their time to fly out so, she wouldn't really have any discernable effect.

Frankly, I think bugs at weddings is kind of creepy. But she's going to be the one in a topless dress (no shoulders/sleeves) with the critters flying around her. (I'm holding out and hoping I don't actually have to wear a retarded bridesmaid dress for this, ew, I just don't even want to have to go there with her. Mixing a girl who won't wear sleeves and hijab... yeah, not pretty, not sure how to be most polite. Guess I'll deal with it as it comes.) Anyway.. bugs have their place... I don't think weddings are their place.

So are they really getting married, or is this girl just dreaming a little too close to reality? I don't know, but my mom and sisters are more than happy to take her dress shopping. I hope I can pass on that trip.