Had the privilege of attending my cousin's wedding the other day. It was the usual; decorations, marching to th exchanging of vows and all that stuff with the jokes and food at the reception. All good fun and I had a nice time.

The groom's older brother was constantly ribbed about when he intended to get married and that question was always greeted with vigorous shakes of the head as if to say 'Never!'.

All comedic, we thought, until in toasting his brother, he admitted that he thought the groom was losing it when he told him he was getting married. For him, anybody who marries before the age of 50 was being too hasty!

Wait until

Now, while I think 50 is getting too old for the whole marriage game, it is best to wait until you are absolutely ready. You see, marriage is not like buying a car when you're a millionaire. That is, if by the following year you're bored with that vehicle, you can merely buy another. Nope, marriage is such that once you say I do to that little miss or little fellow, that should be it. That's why the members of the clergy advocate strongly that couples do the whole counselling thing. This prepares you for a life together but also prevents some major embarrassment; some of them on the wedding day.

Whenever I think about the possibility of getting married (though I have found no bride yet), my biggest fear is always that I will say "I take you (insert name)" and call the wrong name. While I don't believe I'm that daft, it does worry me every now and then. I'm not sure what my fiancée would do. Smashing me over the head with the bouquet or the pastor's cordless microphone might be a good start. And I couldn't really blame her.

Then there is the possibility of being left at th Imagine, halfway through the ceremony my bride-to-be shouts, "I don't think I can do this", and gathers her voluminous white dress and bolts for the exit. Of course, there's always going to be a relative at the back who asks, "does this mean the reception is off too?". There are always stories about grooms just not showing up at all. Hmm, forgot to check his calendar, I guess! Still, the bigger marriage disasters are the ones that end faster than the reception. I opine no time/age limits for persons to get married. I only suggest that when you decide to tie the knot, make sure you're using really strong rope!

Walk down the aisle with me at daviot.kelly@gleanerjm.com