The Secret of "Destination Weddings"

I love it when one of my pet theories gets confirmed. A few years back, a dear friend invited me to his wedding on another continent. "Must be where the bride's from," I thought, but no--she's from Ohio. That's when I dug around and found the new term "destination wedding."

My friend's festivities were in a medieval mansion and included fireworks, so he wasn't stinting. But neither was he having to be nice to second cousins and the bride's father's old business partners. Destination weddings, it struck me, were a good way to invite everyone who'd be offended not to be on the list without the danger of most of them actually showing up. "We'd love to see you in Bamako! You have had all your shots, right?"

And last month the Boston Globe's word column reported:

At least one wedding guidebook recommends a far-flung celebration as a way for couples to pare expenses: "Destination weddings tend to attract fewer guests, meaning you'll be paying less" to entertain the friends who do make the trip.

That quote seems to come from this article, but the same idea has appeared on CNN.com, WeddingChannel.com, TripHub, and elsewhere.

What does this have to do with fantasy literature for kids? Nothing. I just love it when one of my pet theories gets confirmed.