Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2010 September 3

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September 3

Weekend vs Weekday weddings

I'm living in Northern Ireland, but originally from Canada. I looked at Wedding and White Wedding but I didn't see this in either.

Recently a student told me he had done less than usual work this week because a friend had gotten married on Monday. Monday???? He was surprised at my shock. He told me that here all or most weddings happen on weekdays! Is this really true? In North America, it is very strange for someone to get married on a weekday. In what areas of the Western world is a weekday wedding normal? Is it correlated with religiosity? moink (talk) 08:42, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

All eight of the weddings I went to last year in Australia were on weekends, most of them on Saturdays. I haven't heard of any weddings other than very small registry-only weddings happening on weekdays. Those are the ones where the couple and a few friends go to the registry office and get married and then they have dinner together. Steewi (talk) 09:00, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

I think the Saturday wedding is usually just for the convenience of the guests. I don't know of any religious reason (here in northern England) against a weekday wedding, and I have attended a wedding held as part of a normal Sunday religious service. These days, people just do what seems convenient, and if the guests can be free on weekdays, then why not? However, employers tend to be less "understanding" about allowing a day off for a wedding than they would be for a funeral. Dbfirs 09:03, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

I agree with Steewi's observations of the Australian wedding scene. HiLo48 (talk) 09:05, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

The question about religiosity was because when I told the student most people married on the weekend where I come from, he replied "Churches are very busy places on weekends" which is not true in my experience of a tiny, sparsely-attended church, but may be true in a country where a church may traditionally be a central gathering place for a community. moink (talk) 09:17, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Haven't heard of a weekday wedding either - they are normally held on Saturdays here in Slovenia, to allow for the hangover next day :) Incidentally, I was equally surprised to hear that in the US, presidential elections are held on Tuesdays. That just strikes me as completely unpractical, and as far as I can tell, most countries vote on Sundays. TomorrowTime (talk) 09:10, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

It's not that big a deal. Voting doesn't take very long, and the locations are usually quite convenient. The polls are open long enough that unless you have a very long workday, you should be able to vote either on your way in to work or on your way home — and if you can't, there are laws giving you time off to vote.

Certainly, it's not absurd that you'd get a different mix of voters on a different day, which is why any change would be contentious. --Trovatore (talk) 04:49, 5 September 2010 (UTC)

Oh, as to Sunday — that would have been problematic for religious reasons. --Trovatore (talk) 04:52, 5 September 2010 (UTC)

Elections in the UK are held on Thursdays. See also Election Day (politics). Ghmyrtle (talk) 09:40, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

It is cheaper and as venue hire and catering etc., cost so much, it makes a big difference for low income families. Also, everybody it seems to me, likes an excuse for a day off work. After all, aren't they so fond of saying, “we work for you in order to live, rather than live in order to work for you”.--Aspro (talk) 09:21, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

I tend to think that the live to work/work to live conundrum is not just applicable to low income people but equally applicable to people at all income levels. Bus stop (talk) 12:32, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Some good friends of mine got married on a Friday in the UK. They certainly weren't low income and it was a big church wedding. I think they just did it to be different. I resented having to take the day off work, but I did it anyway. This is the only time I've ever come across a wedding that didn't take place on a Saturday. --Viennese Waltz ^talk 09:48, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Something else I forgot to mention is that quite a few shift workers find it easier to get time off during the week. Here is a typical example: [1]--Aspro (talk) 10:17, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

(This is the 2nd time in as many days that I've had occasion to refer to my wedding in a Russian Orthodox Church, having never previously mentioned it in my 6-odd years here. Odd.) My fiancee and I very much wanted our wedding to be on a Saturday, for all sorts of practical reasons. But the priest wouldn't allow it, because of some religious feast that day, and the only other available day was the following day, the Sunday. So Sunday it was. In about 6 weeks I'm going to a wedding on a Wednesday. The bride chose the anniversary of her mother's death, which this year happens to fall on a Wednesday. That will be a first for me. And probably a last. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 10:20, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Jack, not to get overly personal, but you've been fairly open about these things...do you mean your fiance? --Trovatore (talk) 20:27, 5 September 2010 (UTC)

Not at all, Trovatore, and thanks for your interest. I was married to a woman for 21 years (we were together for 15 of those years). I'm the father of 2 grown sons. I've been a step-father, an adoptive father, and a biological father. Not a grandfather yet - as far as I know. Persons of the male persuasion interest me more these days. I have no intention of ever marrying again, and neither does my partner, but if we ever did, we couldn't do it in Canada because he married an American guy there and they've never divorced. He was also previously married to a woman, and has kids. Gets complicated, doesn't it. I should also say that the idea of 2 males marrying in a Russian Orthodox Church is one of the more unlikely mental pictures I've had in many a long year. :) -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 21:05, 5 September 2010 (UTC)

How different, how very different, from the home-life of our own dear Queen.... DuncanHill (talk) 21:28, 5 September 2010 (UTC)

No, that's very true; I had skipped over the part in small font. I was assuming it was Episcopal or something. --Trovatore (talk) 21:35, 5 September 2010 (UTC)

The only weekday wedding I have been to was at a judge's office. All church weddings have been on Saturday or Sunday, so that nearby guests could attend without taking a day off work. A few weddings, such as those involving the very rich, involve transporting family and friends to some vacation destination; then everyone can consider it a vacation and take a few days off, so the time of week makes little difference. Edison (talk) 14:01, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

(after ec)My second wedding took place on a Friday because we wanted to have a weekend away. My third wedding took place on a Wednesday, because it was the day before my husband's place of work moved to a new building, and all leave had been cancelled for six weeks. In the UK you can get married any day, between the hours of 9 and 5. (Now that's the bit that sucks - imagine how lovely a summer evening wedding could be...) Actually, what does surprise me is that your friend got married on a Bank Holiday, unless it's not a Bank Holiday in NI. --TammyMoet (talk) 14:05, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

I'm going to a wedding today (a Friday), and mine's on a Friday too, it's not uncommon at all, at least in Canada (or maybe just Ontario...or maybe just around here). They are usually on Saturdays though. I know it's slightly cheaper to book a wedding venue on a Friday, because more people want one for a Saturday. If you just get married at city hall you can do that any day. I don't recall seeing a fancy wedding on any other day, except there was once a wedding on a Sunday at the Portuguese church down the street...I assume that was because that church has like 4 weddings every Saturday. Adam Bishop (talk) 14:20, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

In the Church of England, we don't do weddings on Sunday - or at least I've never heard of it. A friend's church wedding a few weeks ago was on a Friday and the reception was on Saturday. Alansplodge (talk) 17:37, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

I had a great big wedding on a Thursday -- we picked the date and it just happened to be a weekday; it sure was a lot easier to coordinate everything for a day when none of the service providers had competing weddings. (We started the planning in May for an August wedding. The reactions were consistent: "What? So soon? No way! Oh wait, a Thursday? Great!" --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 17:46, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

UK here too, and I've been to a couple of Friday weddings. Saturdays being peak wedding days, hotels are inclined to offer better deals for the reception if you're prepared to accept a weekday when they wouldn't normally get such an event, and it's easier to arrange at relatively short notice, whereas Saturdays can be booked up a year in advance, or even more. Weddings in the middle of the working week may make it hard for some guests to attend, so a Friday wedding and a long weekend seem to be a reasonably popular compromise. This article states that you can get married in a properly licensed place on any day of the week, including Sundays and Bank and Public holidays and at any time between 8am & 6pm (subject to being able to arrange the attendance of a registrar to marry you), but points out that it is difficult to arrange a Sunday wedding in church because of the regular services scheduled on that day. Karenjc 18:49, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Isn't Friday specifically traditionally considered an inauspicious day for doing anything important? The two specific examples I had in mind were setting sail, and getting married. Most people might think they're not superstitious, not really, but when it comes to something that important, why take a chance? If Friday weddings are as common as people are saying, maybe it means that a lot of people just haven't heard of the superstition. --Trovatore (talk) 19:57, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

Well I'd never heard of it until now, but then I like the number 13, and I walk under ladders (when there isn't anyone at the top to drop things on my head)! Dbfirs 06:32, 5 September 2010 (UTC)

I'd heard that Friday was considered unlucky for setting sail, but not for anything else other than the general "Friday 13th" association - certainly never heard of it being unlucky for weddings. Me, I love flying on Friday 13th (as I did in August, for example). Shorter queues, half-empty planes and the chance of getting a row of seats to yourself - superstition is a lovely thing! Karenjc 10:05, 5 September 2010 (UTC)

Firing clay pottery in a charcoal BBQ grill

Are there any reasons this would likely not succeed in firing the clay properly? It's just a standard grill like the red one in the picture at Weber-Stephen Products Co.. Thanks. 20.137.18.50 (talk) 13:53, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Those grills can get up to about 260 degrees C, while pottery needs around 1000 degrees. --Sean 14:30, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

The bottom end of firing temperatures (very low-fire) that will produce a glaze is 1112°F (605°C) to 1556°F (850°C)[2]. A kettle BBQ might get up to 600°F if you really push it, but you'll ruin the grill if it gets much hotter than that - the finish will be ruined at least, and the aluminum parts will melt around 1220°F. High-fired temperatures approach the melting point of steel around 2500°. You will also have severe issues with temperature control and consistency, especially since you'll have to open it up all the time to shovel in more charcoal. You need a kiln of some sort, with interior materials that can withstand the heat and retain it to provide an even heat distribution, preferably after you've pre-heated it to keep from having to open once you've put in the ware. Acroterion _(talk) 14:32, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

I see. Well, I just found out the local hobby shop sells oven-bake clay and my stuff will only be for display, so I guess I won't need a kiln anyway. Thanks. 20.137.18.50 (talk) 15:00, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Yes, baking clay requires a much lower temperature than firing pottery. The reply assumed that you needed the latter. Dbfirs 06:28, 5 September 2010 (UTC)

Hanging things from a plastered ceiling

My garage is small but has a high ceiling, and I'd like to put up a hanging rack for my bike. Trouble is, the previous tenant had the ceiling plastered. I assume there must be wooden beams above that, holding up my lounge floor, but I don't know exactly where. Is there anything I can do to find out, other than drilling randomly into the plaster until I hit one? My landlord is fine with me doing the work, but it's at my risk if I wreck the house. He never comes over and didn't know the plastering had been done until I told him. 86.138.73.152 (talk) 14:27, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

We have an article on everything, including stud finders. Adam Bishop (talk) 14:29, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Cool, thanks! 86.138.73.152 (talk) 14:37, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

I never heard of a stud finder with a RADAR system in it. Is that for real? Comet Tuttle (talk) 15:21, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Whatever you do, don't use toggle bolts, plastic expansion anchors or those screw-in drywall anchors - it sounds like you already know that. Also, don't use nails - nails want to be loaded in shear - perpendicular to their length), not in withdrawal, or drywall screws (flimsy). Heavy decking screws would work. Often you can get a good sense of a joist location and direction from tapping gently with a hammer and listening. The next joist will be about 16" over. If you miss with a screw, some spackle usually is sufficient to fill a screw hole, especially if it's way up there. Acroterion _(talk) 14:40, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

wheels

can i put 195/55/r15 wheels from a citreon xsara onto my volvo s40 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.114.7.238 (talk) 16:12, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Which version and engine number size is the S40? --Ouro (blah blah) 16:30, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Nothing stops you putting any wheels on your Volvo. You may of course compromise the handling, braking etc. which would affect your safety. Also, if the wheels are a drastically different size from the originals, your speedometer and mileage readings will be affected. One thing to consider is whether the spacing of the nuts on the two sets of wheels are the same (otherwise you physically wouldn't be able to line up the holes in your Xsara wheels with the screw thread things on the wheel hub of the Volvo). Most important question, what is the current size of the wheels on your Volvo, and what are the speed ratings of the different sets of tyres? If you need help our article on tire code should let you know what to look for. What are the recommended wheel and tyre sizes for the Volvo (in the owner's manual)? Without this info we're just guessing. Zunaid 19:11, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Different car manufacturers have different setups to how wheels are secured and not all are compatible. I had a Nissan with a dubious spare-wheel that was on the wrong 'rim' and therefore would not fit my car (e.g. it had 4 holes where my nissan had 5 - if memory serves). A quick search online suggests (from the images) that Volvo wheels have 5 bolts in their 'bolt circle' and Citroen 4 bolts (link http://www.alloywheelspin.co.uk/volvo-alloys-21-c.asp and http://www.alloywheelspin.co.uk/citroen-alloy-wheels-26-c.asp) i'm not sure whether that precludes them being fitted (it may be that they align but one hole isn't filled but your best bet is to call a local garage and ask. ny156uk (talk) 22:16, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

This page might be of use http://www.carlsalter.com/wheel_fitments.html - it says for Citroen Xsara it is 4 x 108 (PCD) 15-20 offset and 65.1 bore - whereas the Volvo S40 is 4 x 114 (PCD) 35-42 offset and 67.1 bore ny156uk (talk) 23:08, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Lucy Page Mercer Rutherfurd

Why was she buried in Tranquility Cemetery? "Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd died of leukemia in New York City in 1948 at the age of 57. She was interred in Tranquility Cemetery in the Tranquility section of Green Township, New Jersey".

Residents of Great Meadows New Jersey (88 years old and such) remember the special train and train car that would pass on the Lehigh and Hudson River railroad to Allamuchy. FDR going to see a friend. So, her bio says she lived in South Carolina, died in New York,,,what is the New Jersey connection here...Why no mention of the Estate in Tranquility or Allimuchly? She was meeting FDR at the New Jersey estate and what was the connection. Her family was from Virginia so why not be buried in Virginia if not South Carolina? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.16.150.146 (talk) 20:51, 3 September 2010 (UTC)