Many years ago, I promised my mother I was going to have the cheapest, tackiest wedding I could get for under $1000. This was in the aftermath of my sister's ridiculously expensive nuptials. Mom said she was fine if I eloped.
I haven't changed my foul opinion of the waste and spectacle associated with conventional Western weddings. CostOfWedding.com gives a conservative $26,444 as the average cost of a US wedding, but I've been to very few that could squeak under a $50,000 price point. Expensive gowns, banquet spreads, wedding planners, venue rental, thousands in flowers and cake, custom invitations, tuxedos, open bars, bachelor/bridal parties, stretch limos, wedding coordinators, 6-8 bridesmaids... Who the f*** needs 6-8 bridesmaids?!
No part of these matrimonial circuses has anything to do with the relationship between the bride a groom. The size and expense of a wedding doesn't guarantee a couple will last. It isn't divorce insurance. It doesn't glue a relationship together and it doesn't fix anything. It's all about showing off for everyone else. Why waste $50-100K+ on a wedding when you could put that money toward something that matters? If Mom and Dad want to open their wallets for the happy couple, wouldn't paying off student loans make a more meaningful gesture? What about helping with a down payment for real estate?
If I find the person who wants to spend the rest of our lives together, I hope we get married in jeans and sandals. It'll be just the two of us, officiated by a judge or an Elvis impersonator, and whomever we invite off the street to witness. We will send our wedding announcement in a blast email with a link to a YouTube video showing the service. We'll send it after the fact, so people can enjoy it while we sneak out of town on a flight to Bali or New Zealand.
If people want to celebrate, that's fine. We can have a party when we get back, but that's all it's going to be. The wedding will stay between us; where it matters and where it belongs.
I haven't changed my foul opinion of the waste and spectacle associated with conventional Western weddings. CostOfWedding.com gives a conservative $26,444 as the average cost of a US wedding, but I've been to very few that could squeak under a $50,000 price point. Expensive gowns, banquet spreads, wedding planners, venue rental, thousands in flowers and cake, custom invitations, tuxedos, open bars, bachelor/bridal parties, stretch limos, wedding coordinators, 6-8 bridesmaids... Who the f*** needs 6-8 bridesmaids?!
No part of these matrimonial circuses has anything to do with the relationship between the bride a groom. The size and expense of a wedding doesn't guarantee a couple will last. It isn't divorce insurance. It doesn't glue a relationship together and it doesn't fix anything. It's all about showing off for everyone else. Why waste $50-100K+ on a wedding when you could put that money toward something that matters? If Mom and Dad want to open their wallets for the happy couple, wouldn't paying off student loans make a more meaningful gesture? What about helping with a down payment for real estate?
If I find the person who wants to spend the rest of our lives together, I hope we get married in jeans and sandals. It'll be just the two of us, officiated by a judge or an Elvis impersonator, and whomever we invite off the street to witness. We will send our wedding announcement in a blast email with a link to a YouTube video showing the service. We'll send it after the fact, so people can enjoy it while we sneak out of town on a flight to Bali or New Zealand.
If people want to celebrate, that's fine. We can have a party when we get back, but that's all it's going to be. The wedding will stay between us; where it matters and where it belongs.