A woman has admitted she doesn’t want to attend her friend’s Game of Thrones-themed wedding because it will mainly be spoken in the show’s High Valyrian language, and fans of the series can sympathise with her decision.
Reddit user u/Fluffy_Strain6713 posted to the popular forum r/AmITheA**hole on Thursday about her dilemma. “My friend ‘Lexa’ is getting married soon. She and her husband are extreme Game of Thrones fans (they’ve watched the show 5+ times, their house is decked out with Game of Thrones themed decorations/accessories, etc),” the post began. “Because of their shared love of Game of Thrones, Lexa and her fiancé decided to have a game of thrones-themed wedding.”
The original poster [OP] explained that she is “perfectly fine” with the idea of a themed wedding, and is even okay with dressing up in Game of Thrones gear for her friend’s nuptials. “The only thing I can’t seem to get behind is the fact that the majority of the wedding will be conducted in High Valyrian.”
High Valyrian is just one of the many constructed languages from the series Game of Thrones written by George R R Martin, which was later adapted into a popular HBO television series. Daenerys Targaryen, played by actor Emilia Clarke, largely spoke the language throughout the television show.
The Redditor explained that she told her friend Lexa how she was having doubts about attending the Game of Thrones-themed wedding, but her friend didn’t seem to take it well. “She got really mad at me because I had originally said I could go before I knew it was in High Valyrian,” she wrote. “She’s also been sending me links to learn High Valyrian on Duolingo and I feel like even if I did show up, she’d be mad at me for not learning it.”
In addition to the vows being spoken in High Valyrian, it’s also a destination wedding. Plus, the reception, speeches, and toasts are all expected to be in High Valyrian too. “I’m finding it hard to justify going out of my way to go to a wedding that’s not even in a real language that I won’t be able to understand,” she added.
While the original poster wondered whether she was in the wrong for skipping her friend’s wedding, Game of Thrones fans quickly validated her hesitation to attend a wedding completely spoken in High Valyrian – mainly because Game of Thrones weddings tend to go awry in the series.
“I wouldn’t feel safe attending a GOT themed wedding. Who knows if it’ll be a red or purple one,” commented u/AdrielBast.
“If they actually locked the doors I feel like they would be one person drunk and/or stupid enough to try and smash down a door,” added u/Blizzaldo.
Reddit user u/SnappyMango said, “Yeeeeah, my first thought was that someone is gonna die at that wedding,” while another person wrote: “I mean, I just hope their wedding doesn’t end up like the TV show. A few great years then everyone hates it so much they pretend it didn’t exist.”
Many people also defended the woman’s decision to not attend the themed wedding, and argued that her friend should offer a translator for guests who are less brushed up on their High Valyrian.
“Fantasy themed weddings are cool when done right, and maybe they need a translator for the crowd instead of expecting them all to learn a new language,” said u/TieAgitated868.
“I’d suggest going and just not making a speech or anything, enjoy the party but if it’s expected that you learn to speak High Valyrian then that seems like a lot of pressure for something that is supposed to be fun,” explained u/Novel_Fox.
“Learning an entire new language for one event and then never using it ever again sounds ridiculous and exhausting,” said u/Stegosaurus505. “Or like the time of your life if Game of Thrones is your favorite thing in the entire world ever. I feel like there’s no in between.”
However, others compared a High Valyrian wedding to traditional ceremonies conducted in Latin or Hebrew. “What does the language being made up have to do with anything?” asked u/Nocoffeesnob. “Weddings are commonly held in languages many, if not most, of the attendees don’t actually speak.”
“I’ve been to Catholic weddings where I don’t understand what’s going on. I’ve been to weddings in Czech that were gibberish,” another person said. “None of that matters because the day is about your friends, not about you. Go, enjoy the day, tune out the portions in the language you don’t understand. Support your friends and most of all have fun.”
Perhaps the most important piece of advice came from u/aggressively-so-so: “Go dressed as Hodor…only have to say one thing the whole time.”
