Bringing Reluctant People to Burning Man

[Meat Hunter]

I second what bbadger suggested.

If they would prefer not to attend, Let it be. Have two receptions: one on the playa and another one back home.

They will thank you for it and it will pay you dividends down the road.

[Dr Helix]

Have your Playa wedding, then have a reception back at home.

Or, have an informal wedding on Playa, and the official ceremony at home.

This what my wife and I did and it was wonderful! The people who wanted to be at BM were there and could really enjoy the ceremony. Who cares if it's not official? And then everyone else (plus the burners too!) came to the official one. If you want your family there, make it easier on them. Both ceremonies will have meaning and hey, you get two receptions!!!!!!

[Bless]

One of my best friends in the world is a successful lawyer and definitely not a burner. I would never have thought to bring her to the event. Yet, sure enough, a few weeks before last year's event, she announced that one of her friends had procured her a ticket and she was going to stay with him and a bunch of his virgin friends in a trailer somewhere on K St. I strongly counseled her to stay with me and my experienced burner friends in our homey camp...but to no avail.

I didn't see her for half the week. I finally found her on Thursday and she looked pretty cracked out and miserable. She hadn't slept in several days, hadn't taken a shit since she'd gotten there. She wanted to murder her friend that she was staying with and all the other people in their camper. It was a pretty bad situation.

I invited her over to my camp...she slept a bunch and was much more happy. Some of my friends ended up driving out after the Man Burn, and she caught a ride out with them early and stayed in Reno a couple of days before flying back east.

Bottom line is, that as burners we obviously think that TTITD is the coolest thing in the world and that everyone will enjoy it. When the reality is that clearly not everyone is cut out for it. My own advise would be to be careful about inviting or bringing people to the event that clearly won't enjoy themselves. You're only going to feel guilty about making them feel miserable and ultimately wasting a ticket that someone else might have enjoyed more.

[Savannah]

One of my best friends in the world is a successful lawyer and definitely not a burner. I would never have thought to bring her to the event. Yet, sure enough, a few weeks before last year's event, she announced that one of her friends had procured her a ticket and she was going to stay with him and a bunch of his virgin friends in a trailer somewhere on K St. I strongly counseled her to stay with me and my experienced burner friends in our homey camp...but to no avail.

I didn't see her for half the week. I finally found her on Thursday and she looked pretty cracked out and miserable. She hadn't slept in several days, hadn't taken a shit since she'd gotten there. She wanted to murder her friend that she was staying with and all the other people in their camper. It was a pretty bad situation.

I invited her over to my camp...she slept a bunch and was much more happy. Some of my friends ended up driving out after the Man Burn, and she caught a ride out with them early and stayed in Reno a couple of days before flying back east.

Bottom line is, that as burners we obviously think that TTITD is the coolest thing in the world and that everyone will enjoy it. When the reality is that clearly not everyone is cut out for it. My own advise would be to be careful about inviting or bringing people to the event that clearly won't enjoy themselves. You're only going to feel guilty about making them feel miserable and ultimately wasting a ticket that someone else might have enjoyed more.

Agreed.

My very best friend is pale as paper, and doesn't do well in the heat--at all. She's creative, & she's even comfortable nude, but she's just just not a Burner, nor a camper. If I could invite her in for a day or two I probably would, but it just doesn't work that way, nor should it.

I don't try to persuade her to go, and I'm glad. She's happy to water my plants while I'm away, and look at my pictures when I come home . . . and I look after her cat when she goes on vacation.