Engagement FAQ 1
Jan. 1st, 2011 09:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackQ. Congratulations!
A. Thank you!
Q. Do you feel excited?
A. Squee!
Q. What does "Llongyfarchiadau" mean?
A. It means "Congratulations".
Q. Is it true Swedish speaking people use more exclamation marks than English speaking people?
A. Apparently.
Q. When did you get engaged?
A. I raised the topic earlier this year when we went to a romantic dinner at the Anchor (Sutton Galt), and we talked it over for about six months. Last week, when we were stopping with my Grandfather over Christmas, we went out for a walk along the frozen coast, and discovered our last questions suddenly seemed to be satisfied. We count the official engagement from the moment we told our families (on Liv's birthday, 27th December), but we also made an official announcement to our friends there in person, and on the internet, at Ian and Clare's NY party.
Q. Is there a ring?
A. No. We discovered to my surprise neither of us really cared about that. I'm not opposed to the idea, and still have a nagging feeling Liv is being shortchanged somewhere :) But we don't really want a traditional ring, and traded ideas for alternatives which were funny, but none really seemed good. There will hopefully be at least one ring exchanged at the ceremony, hopefully an old Jewish tradition of a round-square ring.
Q. Round and square? How can something be both round, and square?
A. In the King-move metric (aka Chebyshev or L(infinity)) metric), the set of points equidistant from the origin, is the same shape as the set of points on the shortest lines between four corners.
Q. But how can you put that on a finger?
A. What?
Q. OK, OK, how can a ring specifically be round and square?
A. A mathematical ring?
Q. NO!
A. OK. It's unclear what the description originally referred to, but the most obvious interpretation is a ring which is round on the inside but square on the outside (or has a square setting).
Q. Have you got a date in mind for the wedding?
A. Hopefully a significant anniversary early in 2012 (possibly Feb 29th), although this obviously depends on being able to arrange a venue at that notice.
Q. Where?
A. Almost certainly Cambridge, as most of my friends, and half of Rachel's are here.
Q. Will you have a Jewish wedding? A civil ceremony?
A. We will most probably have a ceremony incorporating some traditions we both agree fit well, and include a civil wedding, or have a civil wedding beforehand. We hope to have a wedding in several parts in order that we can incorporate many people in a reasonable way.
Q. Will you take each others surnames?
A. No.
Q. If I'm invited to your ceremony, is it respectful to specifically cover, or not cover, my head?
A. In a church, it's respectful to uncover your head. In a synagogue, it's respectful TO cover your head. Most probably, at a mixed ceremony, either is fine, although at the time, I suppose there'll be dress code of some sort so people don't have to try to guess whether to wear suits or not.
Q. Will you be living together permanently?
A. Not necessarily. We definitely want to, and will when we can, but we both agree that if our careers are in different places, we may not live together, but we'd still rather be married. I may move to Stoke-on-Trent now, depending on my job situation.
Q. How long was it from your first date to announcing the engagement?
A. Three years to the day :)
A. Thank you!
Q. Do you feel excited?
A. Squee!
Q. What does "Llongyfarchiadau" mean?
A. It means "Congratulations".
Q. Is it true Swedish speaking people use more exclamation marks than English speaking people?
A. Apparently.
Q. When did you get engaged?
A. I raised the topic earlier this year when we went to a romantic dinner at the Anchor (Sutton Galt), and we talked it over for about six months. Last week, when we were stopping with my Grandfather over Christmas, we went out for a walk along the frozen coast, and discovered our last questions suddenly seemed to be satisfied. We count the official engagement from the moment we told our families (on Liv's birthday, 27th December), but we also made an official announcement to our friends there in person, and on the internet, at Ian and Clare's NY party.
Q. Is there a ring?
A. No. We discovered to my surprise neither of us really cared about that. I'm not opposed to the idea, and still have a nagging feeling Liv is being shortchanged somewhere :) But we don't really want a traditional ring, and traded ideas for alternatives which were funny, but none really seemed good. There will hopefully be at least one ring exchanged at the ceremony, hopefully an old Jewish tradition of a round-square ring.
Q. Round and square? How can something be both round, and square?
A. In the King-move metric (aka Chebyshev or L(infinity)) metric), the set of points equidistant from the origin, is the same shape as the set of points on the shortest lines between four corners.
Q. But how can you put that on a finger?
A. What?
Q. OK, OK, how can a ring specifically be round and square?
A. A mathematical ring?
Q. NO!
A. OK. It's unclear what the description originally referred to, but the most obvious interpretation is a ring which is round on the inside but square on the outside (or has a square setting).
Q. Have you got a date in mind for the wedding?
A. Hopefully a significant anniversary early in 2012 (possibly Feb 29th), although this obviously depends on being able to arrange a venue at that notice.
Q. Where?
A. Almost certainly Cambridge, as most of my friends, and half of Rachel's are here.
Q. Will you have a Jewish wedding? A civil ceremony?
A. We will most probably have a ceremony incorporating some traditions we both agree fit well, and include a civil wedding, or have a civil wedding beforehand. We hope to have a wedding in several parts in order that we can incorporate many people in a reasonable way.
Q. Will you take each others surnames?
A. No.
Q. If I'm invited to your ceremony, is it respectful to specifically cover, or not cover, my head?
A. In a church, it's respectful to uncover your head. In a synagogue, it's respectful TO cover your head. Most probably, at a mixed ceremony, either is fine, although at the time, I suppose there'll be dress code of some sort so people don't have to try to guess whether to wear suits or not.
Q. Will you be living together permanently?
A. Not necessarily. We definitely want to, and will when we can, but we both agree that if our careers are in different places, we may not live together, but we'd still rather be married. I may move to Stoke-on-Trent now, depending on my job situation.
Q. How long was it from your first date to announcing the engagement?
A. Three years to the day :)
no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 03:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 12:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 11:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 12:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 12:43 pm (UTC)A. In a church, it's respectful to uncover your head. In a synagogue, it's respectful TO cover your head. Most probably, at a mixed ceremony, either is fine, although at the time, I suppose there'll be dress code of some sort so people don't have to try to guess whether to wear suits or not.
I forsee a brisk trade in half-hats.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 01:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 06:22 pm (UTC)