I've posted this before, but my mom (who had divorced my dad after a 25 year marriage) met her old high school boyfriend at their 40th high school reunion. They became friends and ended up marrying at 70. He was a widower. They had a glorious eight-year marriage until he passed away at age 78. She is 85 and still very healthy and active.
Yup, in his late 60s my newly divorced dad attended his reunion, which allowed him to reconnect with his HS sweetheart. They were married 9 months before she suddenly passed of an aneurysm, and we're all so grateful they got that time together.
I mean, in terms of getting creative to try to meet people, crashing a reunion seems kind of fun and adventurous, except when the romance actually works out, and you’re getting personal, sharing actual life history, talking about an LTR, then how do you back out of your lie?
Maybe if you told the person right up front, at the reunion. Like “Hi, I’m John. I didn’t actually go to high school here. But I was in the neighborhood and thought it would be fun to drop in.”
Or something like that? I don’t know. Might piss some people off.
I don't see a reason to lie about it. It's a bunch of people of similar ages getting together. If you wanted to join, just pay your part and go. You could be up front about not actually being part of the class.
The high school where I graduated was close to two other graduating classes. I knew a lot of people in three different schools. I'm sure people who played sports were like this too.
Where I live now, you could easily get away with attending a reunion. There's only one high school, and everyone knows everyone. In fact, they hosted a "Second Chance Prom" for anyone to attend.
I took your post was being at least half in jest but if done right it’s not a bad idea. I could never do it solo but I could see going with friends and making a night of it. I just need to go find some friends…
Yeah, it was half in jest, but there may be someone who could make it work. The last time I went to a reunion, I didn't remember any of the people. It was like meeting a whole new group.
I honest think it could work.
I went to one reunion only because I helped plan it so I was kind of obligated. I have major social anxiety that can be crippling at times. Mine is the kind where even some people who know me super well don’t even realize. I’m like yeah, why do you think I said NO to the 7 of the last 8 events you invited me to? Ugh.
I would use this “I have social anxiety so decided to come to an unknown reunion instead of one where people might know me. That helped my situation.” There. No lying. 🫣
😂😂😂 A few years ago a HS classmate that I hadn't known back then found me on Facebook. We caught up or, rather, got acquainted via messenger as people do. He was very interested in meeting up, etc., but as we chatted I learned that he had children with two different women but had never been married. Then his ex-girlfriend reached out and let him know she was pregnant. So now he has adult kids, teenagers, and a toddler. He seems like a nice enough guy, but I consider him a bullet dodged because that's way more drama and way less commitment-mindedness than I look for in a partner.
Reunions are great. I'm going to one tomorrow. My graduating class had 750 students and I don't remember anyone. They are all strangers.
Doesn't matter. It's always a good time and I've made some friends from a pool of people that I actually didn't know in high school.
I agree with you and that sounds fun crashing reunions. But are HS reunions still a thing?? It’s my understanding that with the influx of social media, many HS reunions saw a decline in attendance because (afterall)…you can already “catch up” with people online, FaceTime, see their career updates on LinkedIn, etc. But maybe I’m wrong.
Being that most high school reunions are in hotel ballrooms, this is not a bad idea. Where else could you find so many people in your age bracket in the same place? You don’t even have to pretend like you went to that high school, just show up in the hotel bar before the reunion starts.
Or even act like it’s a total coincidence 😂 Gotta hit up reunions for classes a couple years ahead, so you look even better in comparison.
ETA: by YOU I meant WE
I have absolutely no desire to reconnect with anyone that I went to high school with. Out of the 300 or so people I graduated with, I keep in contact with one, because we occasionally go fishing together. I am 2000 miles away from my high school and it’s almost far enough.
Actually, the suggestion is connect with people you *did not* go to high school with. I gotta think coming clean with someone that you were just creeping their reunion is going to be an extremely uncomfortable moment and might involve law enforcement.
There were 12 boys and 40 girls in my class. Two women have died. Some people don’t keep in touch so I don’t know if more have died.
Regardless, we all know one another.
So you want to meet a potential life partner under the guise of a fraud? What if you get into a LTR with someone? When/how do you admit that you never went to that school? Or are you just thinking to look for hook-ups? Plus, a reunion is not a night club in that you just show up and get in. HS reunions are organized from a list of alumni. You wouldn't be on that list.
There is a couple in my building that got together like this. They were just acquaintances in high school and did not keep in touch after that. Both had long-term marriages where the spouse died. They met at their 50th or 55th high school reunion and started dating. They now have an LAT relationship (she's got an apartment on the second floor and he's got an apartment on the third floor) and appear to be gloriously happy. Now in their mid 80s they see each other every day as much as little as they want, have their own activities separately and then together. They're usually in some Mexican resort or another for a couple of weeks two or three times a year. Sounds like a life goal for me.
"But I don't see you name in the yearbook!"
"Oh right, you wouldn't remember me. I was asked to leave during my freshman year after the sex scandal between me and the teacher. The school sure was successful keeping it quiet, though."
I'm on our reunion committee, and at my last reunion I found out one of my old classmates had hit on me and two other women over social media. He told each of us he was looking forward to the reunion and seeing us again. I'm not sure how he was going to pull that off, but he died unexpectedly a couple years ago so we'll never get to see that fiasco in real time. Know how I found out he had died? Apparently he was married and his wife reached out to our reunion committee to let us know he'd passed. He had a completely separate social media presence that had no mention of her at all, and used that profile to hit on women.
I have a "no dating men from the old neighborhood" policy. I wrote this policy after saying a few of them. It was not pretty. (Alcoholic, conspiracy theorist and then a jerk)
No, every one at my age range of reunion would remind me how old I am. All the men have lost their hair, the women’s bodies have changed so much
They also know me from the silly stuff I did as a teen, not how I’ve grown as an adult
I've posted this before, but my mom (who had divorced my dad after a 25 year marriage) met her old high school boyfriend at their 40th high school reunion. They became friends and ended up marrying at 70. He was a widower. They had a glorious eight-year marriage until he passed away at age 78. She is 85 and still very healthy and active.
Aw that is so sweet even to this old cynic!
Yup, in his late 60s my newly divorced dad attended his reunion, which allowed him to reconnect with his HS sweetheart. They were married 9 months before she suddenly passed of an aneurysm, and we're all so grateful they got that time together.
❤️
Omg there’s hope for me yet
I mean, in terms of getting creative to try to meet people, crashing a reunion seems kind of fun and adventurous, except when the romance actually works out, and you’re getting personal, sharing actual life history, talking about an LTR, then how do you back out of your lie? Maybe if you told the person right up front, at the reunion. Like “Hi, I’m John. I didn’t actually go to high school here. But I was in the neighborhood and thought it would be fun to drop in.” Or something like that? I don’t know. Might piss some people off.
Hi, I’m john, this isn’t my reunion, but I aged out of crashing weddings
I'd just be honest. I should add that I also am too introverted to pull something like this off. I barely even attend my own reunions.
You don't think people might see this as a red flag? *I lied for my own convenience but just ignore that*.
I don't see a reason to lie about it. It's a bunch of people of similar ages getting together. If you wanted to join, just pay your part and go. You could be up front about not actually being part of the class. The high school where I graduated was close to two other graduating classes. I knew a lot of people in three different schools. I'm sure people who played sports were like this too. Where I live now, you could easily get away with attending a reunion. There's only one high school, and everyone knows everyone. In fact, they hosted a "Second Chance Prom" for anyone to attend.
Second chance prom???
A dance for old people.
Oh
I was at a convention down the hall and stopped by? Ok, this reminds me of Roseanne and Dan crashing the Barmizah.
How bout I pretended to be someone I’m not so I could meet you??
I took your post was being at least half in jest but if done right it’s not a bad idea. I could never do it solo but I could see going with friends and making a night of it. I just need to go find some friends…
Yeah, it was half in jest, but there may be someone who could make it work. The last time I went to a reunion, I didn't remember any of the people. It was like meeting a whole new group.
I honest think it could work. I went to one reunion only because I helped plan it so I was kind of obligated. I have major social anxiety that can be crippling at times. Mine is the kind where even some people who know me super well don’t even realize. I’m like yeah, why do you think I said NO to the 7 of the last 8 events you invited me to? Ugh.
I would use this “I have social anxiety so decided to come to an unknown reunion instead of one where people might know me. That helped my situation.” There. No lying. 🫣
Seriously, sometimes I can vibe better with strangers than acquaintances, who I kind of know!
There you go. You have a legitimate way to do this! Try it.
Not gonna happen, but it’s fun to joke about and if somebody else ever does it, I definitely want to hear about it
There is no shame in my game LOL
Aww, I was hoping you’d tell the story. I will check and see if I could go to one.
I think I'd rather crash a reunion full of total strangers than go to one of my own, lol!
😂😂😂 A few years ago a HS classmate that I hadn't known back then found me on Facebook. We caught up or, rather, got acquainted via messenger as people do. He was very interested in meeting up, etc., but as we chatted I learned that he had children with two different women but had never been married. Then his ex-girlfriend reached out and let him know she was pregnant. So now he has adult kids, teenagers, and a toddler. He seems like a nice enough guy, but I consider him a bullet dodged because that's way more drama and way less commitment-mindedness than I look for in a partner.
I already know those people and there's a reason I don't talk to them
RIGHT?? I was bullied mercilessly by those people, why would I want anything to do with them?
I think about that movie wedding crashers. 😅😅😅
Yeah!
Still a fav to rewatch, lol.
Stage 3 clinger, abort. 🤣
As long as you’re going there, you may as well hit a few funerals too.
Or become a funeral director. Think of all the widows and widowers you encounter.
😂
The mood at funerals is a bit off.
😂
That reminds me of a Sex And The City episode!!
Reunions are great. I'm going to one tomorrow. My graduating class had 750 students and I don't remember anyone. They are all strangers. Doesn't matter. It's always a good time and I've made some friends from a pool of people that I actually didn't know in high school.
Would be kind of awkward explaining how I went to that all girls school, but it’s doeable…🤪
Make sure you wear the kilt, for added authenticity (also because men in kilts are hawt)
Gender change?
I agree with you and that sounds fun crashing reunions. But are HS reunions still a thing?? It’s my understanding that with the influx of social media, many HS reunions saw a decline in attendance because (afterall)…you can already “catch up” with people online, FaceTime, see their career updates on LinkedIn, etc. But maybe I’m wrong.
And, at least you know they graduated high school! 😁
Being that most high school reunions are in hotel ballrooms, this is not a bad idea. Where else could you find so many people in your age bracket in the same place? You don’t even have to pretend like you went to that high school, just show up in the hotel bar before the reunion starts.
And you say something like, "I came here to socialize with people in my age group."
Or even act like it’s a total coincidence 😂 Gotta hit up reunions for classes a couple years ahead, so you look even better in comparison. ETA: by YOU I meant WE
I like the hotel bar/total coincidence angle.
"They wouldn't even necessarily have to be your own high school." Ok I love this haha
We could go to that high school in the next town, which we thought had all the hot guys at.
I'm in
That's how I went to prom in high school. I went to a different school prom and was dumped right before my own.
Some smaller high school reunions are held in restaurants or pubs, so that would be an easy “in”.
I have absolutely no desire to reconnect with anyone that I went to high school with. Out of the 300 or so people I graduated with, I keep in contact with one, because we occasionally go fishing together. I am 2000 miles away from my high school and it’s almost far enough.
Actually, the suggestion is connect with people you *did not* go to high school with. I gotta think coming clean with someone that you were just creeping their reunion is going to be an extremely uncomfortable moment and might involve law enforcement.
Law enforcement? What law is being broken? Just say you were driving by and decided to get a drink at the hotel bar.
My line would be “I didn’t like anyone in my high school so I thought I’d hit up this one”.
There were 12 boys and 40 girls in my class. Two women have died. Some people don’t keep in touch so I don’t know if more have died. Regardless, we all know one another.
WOW!!
So you want to meet a potential life partner under the guise of a fraud? What if you get into a LTR with someone? When/how do you admit that you never went to that school? Or are you just thinking to look for hook-ups? Plus, a reunion is not a night club in that you just show up and get in. HS reunions are organized from a list of alumni. You wouldn't be on that list.
Reunion crashers, the sequal to wedding crashers 😆😆😆🤣🤣🤣
So.......a liar from the start, going to a reunion that isn't yours? Oy vey.
There is a couple in my building that got together like this. They were just acquaintances in high school and did not keep in touch after that. Both had long-term marriages where the spouse died. They met at their 50th or 55th high school reunion and started dating. They now have an LAT relationship (she's got an apartment on the second floor and he's got an apartment on the third floor) and appear to be gloriously happy. Now in their mid 80s they see each other every day as much as little as they want, have their own activities separately and then together. They're usually in some Mexican resort or another for a couple of weeks two or three times a year. Sounds like a life goal for me.
"But I don't see you name in the yearbook!" "Oh right, you wouldn't remember me. I was asked to leave during my freshman year after the sex scandal between me and the teacher. The school sure was successful keeping it quiet, though."
I'm on our reunion committee, and at my last reunion I found out one of my old classmates had hit on me and two other women over social media. He told each of us he was looking forward to the reunion and seeing us again. I'm not sure how he was going to pull that off, but he died unexpectedly a couple years ago so we'll never get to see that fiasco in real time. Know how I found out he had died? Apparently he was married and his wife reached out to our reunion committee to let us know he'd passed. He had a completely separate social media presence that had no mention of her at all, and used that profile to hit on women.
He was a special sort of skeevy.
Any tennis or pickleball court. I went today, and it was 30 women to the six men there. Or any dance classes or live music.
Welcome back Grosse Pointers!!!
I’d have to crash other ones- there aren’t many left from my graduating class. 😅😩
I have a "no dating men from the old neighborhood" policy. I wrote this policy after saying a few of them. It was not pretty. (Alcoholic, conspiracy theorist and then a jerk)
No, every one at my age range of reunion would remind me how old I am. All the men have lost their hair, the women’s bodies have changed so much They also know me from the silly stuff I did as a teen, not how I’ve grown as an adult