Ruinously expensive (i.e. average) weddings are dumb!
Category: Real World > Finance
Agree
0
I am with you 1000%. We got married Jan 09 and in total probably spent less than 700 dollars and charged nothing. $500 was a gift from the groom's parents. Out of pocket 200 (maybe).
They why: We had just had a baby in Sept.... nuf said....were planning to move in April from LA to NC....nuf said and REFUSED to go into debt. Our priority was about making OUR family (legally speaking) a single unit. And enjoying OUR day together.
The How:
Justice of the peace:
Cost: 75 dollars including license, certificates and use of a 15 person chapel.
Dress: Original cost $300 sale price $50 time to find at a price I would pay 2 days
Shoes: Original cost: $70.00 Final price $20
Btw all purchases were made at Macys in Los Angeles and surrounding areas
Reception: $287.36 day after wedding.... At grandma's "club house" in her complex Cost FREE
Menu: Jamaican Jerk Chicken, field green salad, red beans and rice, rolls, soda, wine, coffee, juice, a fruit tray, vegetable platter etc.
All items purchased at walmart and local grocery
friends and family helped with ALL the food preparation, setup and clean up
Chair and table rental $75 (pick up and delivery)
Cake: Gift from mom ($85)
That's all I can recall......I am so VERY happy with the outcome of the wedding.... We could have spent more, done more, charged more....but I can't see any reasonable reason to have done so...We enjoyed our friends and family in a nice intimate setting with no stress or worries of how we would pay it off. We still smile about it a year later.
Please don't get me wrong. I LOVE watching all the glitz and Glam on those wedding shows....but I pray when I have that much money to spend on one day that I am as cautious and frugal as I am now. I say spend 100K plus after 10 or 20 years of marriage when you really have something to celebrate..... Plus more time to SAVE.
0
whats the big fuss anyway?
is it me or do people seem to have forgotten what comes after a wedding? the HONEYMOON, you know, the part where the 2 people who got married go on holiday somewhere away from everyone else where they can enjoy being together without interruption
in other words...a HOLIDAY
now if you ask me, a holiday is worth spending dollars on to go somewhere you havent been before, explore the world, have an experience
a wedding is simply just a gathering of friends and family to watch you "tie the knot" its a pitty that some people who get married dont actually tie the "knot" that they should have tied...
i think you know what i mean
-1
agreed!!! i don't c a point in marriages at all, Its so 16th Century !!
0
Plus, when you were getting married 21 years ago, the average cost was way below the $28,000 (!) that it is today, even when adjusted for inflation.
2
I still think getting married is important especially if you plan on having children.
I do agree with having a more simple wedding and cutting costs. After being married for 21 yrs. I have a different perspective. All the money, time and decisions that go into a wedding are quickly forgotten (unless you go into debt for it) after you are married. Why strap your new marriage with so much debt which will eventually cause problems in the marriage. It's so much more important choosing the right partner.
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Disagree
0
When planning with vendors, don't call it a wedding, rather a party celebration. If you can resist all the fancy bells and whistles, you'll be able to cut corners on cost but still have a memorable time. It's all about control and moderation. It's possible!
-1
I think the wedding is way overpriced. Everyone is trying to take a little chunk of your wallet. At the end of it, $500 means nothing. You don't even care anymore. Not only do you pay out the money to the wedding industry, but you also have to by that 10K+ rock. Where is the justice in all of this?
-1
Expensive wedding will not be costly to
the couple if corporate sponsors participate.
Wedding is excellent place to promote any
number of products and services!
2
I'm as much of a "sit in front of the computer for 10 + hours a day" nerd as you will find, and even I recognize that our society is almost entirely devoid of formal social gatherings. People complain that it's impossible to meet new, normal people these days and they never do anything interesting anymore, etc. Weddings are one of the last formal events left in our society, and es, they are expensive, but (within reason) I think they're worth it.
