There were three cardinal rules that I, as well as every other event planner, knew

When one’s child is getting married, it seems there’s nothing more important than how you look. If said child is your youngest son and he is marrying the oldest daughter of a much younger set of mechutanim (and the wedding will be in their town and not yours), your faith in praying that you can keep up, as well as your trust in the aestheticians who will get you through this, takes on all the intensity of the waning hours of the Day of Atonement.

In my previous life, because part of my job was helping others plan their own joyous occasions, there were three cardinal rules that I, as well as every other event planner, knew: