On Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:15:35 +0100, "john turner"
wrote:

Young couple moved into rented house next door a few months ago and they are
friendly and we chat to them over the garden fence, now and again.

They decided they are getting married in a couple of weeks, and have invited
us to a wedding reception a nearby local venue, in the evening after the
wedding.

We are in our seventies and wont really fit into their young crowd who are
into drinking quite a lot. Also we won't know anyone apart from the couple.
In a way we would prefer not to go, but dot want to hurt anyone's feelings.

Also the question of a gift? Finances are not good for us at the moment so
won't want to spend a lot. What might be a good thing to get that's not
expensive?

At your advanced age you don't need any noisy rugrats either so how
about a case of condoms. Or you can save yourselves shame when having
to face them into the future so put on your dancing slippers and
attend the party, and bring a bottle of bubbly and a couple of crystal
flutes. It's a party, you don't need to know the other guests but
this is a good opportunity to meet your neighbor's family/friends...
be well assured had they thouhgt you'd be out of place they'd not have
invited you... they don't want to embarrass themselves either. At
your advanced age you should know how to comport yourselves at an
affair with strangers... demonstrate some wisdom.... it's a wedding
reception, odds are you won't be the oldest guests, and so what if you
are, being around young folks will make you fel younger too. And
anyway, guests don't have profound discussions at wedding receptions,
they make light/superficial chit chat but are mostly there to have
fun. I'd go for the food, booze, and to see the young gals bosoms
bounce and to scope out their cleavage.