Posted on 07/20/2023 8:49:00 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
When my brother was getting married, they called around for prices for a wedding reception and got ridiculously high numbers.
He waited a few weeks and then called asking for prices for a family reunion for the same criteria, and the prices were almost half.
Wedding stuff is a scam to begin with, but the other issue in the high costs is extravagance in the wedding anyways.
I was married in 1987 and I felt the same way then. My wife's divorced mother insisted on a large wedding with all the trimmings in large part to impress her family and to show up her ex. So for months beforehand, my future mother and law dragged us to countless venues, dress shops, photographers, and all manner of things.
All I really wanted was to know where to show up and what to wear. During that time, my wife and I joked about just eloping together to Las Vegas and saving all that money and aggravation.
My point is, in many cases, the wedding is more about the ego of the parents (wanting to put on a big show) than the marriage itself.
Some 40 year later, the price of a wedding has seemingly kept pace with college tuition. One of my sons was married last year and I thought I was getting off easy with just the rehearsal dinner. But that rehearsal dinner cost more than our entire wedding did in 1987!
I can only imagine what my daughter-in-law's parents paid for the wedding itself. My son and daughter-in-law decided at the last minute to have an open bar the hour or two before the reception began. It very quickly ran up a tab of over $6,000. I felt bad for them as they were stuck having to pay it.
The open bar is dangerous! We agreed to complimentary soft drinks, ice tea, punch, beer, and wine. Hard liquor is on you.
3 nieces and 1 nephew, all married. Two of the weddings were at ‘venues’, all inclusive price. Very nice, both of them & I think cost started around $10k for 50 guests (they both had about 100 guests at each wedding).
A 3rd wedding was traditional, at a church. Reception was at a rented community center, which we had to clean up after. Everything had to be engaged separately, which was a pain - caterer, DJ, rented tables/chairs, etc. Bar tender didn’t show up, DJ wasn’t great. Still a good time & not hugely expensive - bride made all the table decorations & favors herself, found a dress on sale.
4the wedding was The Best of all. Backyard wedding, which the bride always wanted. 80 guests, band whose members were friends of the groom’s father, food was a pig roast by another friend. Big tent & ‘facilities’ were rented. The tent, withights strung up, looked like something out of a fairy tale. This was during the WuFlu & there were no issues with venues canceling the wedding. Masks were available, but only a couple if elderly wore them & they wrinkly came off when eating/dancing got started. No one got sick. It was a fabulous wedding g, start to finish- very meaningful to all. Brudesmaids dresses & wedding gown purchased online & were inexpensive & beautiful. Groom’s mom did the flowers - spectacular job. A great wedding does not gave to be ‘break the bank expensive’.
Read later.
I was gassing up one day and chatted with the guy at the adjacent pump. He just got done with a wedding, for he is one of those that set them up, provide all the things needed and did all the planning. He said his average wedding was 50 grand.
I just can’t imagine the spoiled rotten elitist kids this guy caters to, or rather their parents footing the bill. And with the elitist attitudes, you know damn well they will be screwing around shortly after the wedding.
The wife and I had a wedding that cost nothing but the rings and we’ve been married for over 50 years. What counts is commitment, not how much you can spend.
3 nieces and 1 nephew, all married. Two of the weddings were at ‘venues’, all inclusive price. Very nice, both of them, & I think the cost started around $10k for 50 guests (they both had about 100 guests at each wedding).
A 3rd wedding was traditional, at a church. Reception was at a rented community center, which we had to clean up after. Everything had to be engaged separately, which was a pain - caterer, DJ, rented tables/chairs, etc. Bar tender didn’t show up, DJ wasn’t great. Still a good time & not hugely expensive - bride made all the table decorations & favors herself, found a dress on sale.
4th wedding was The Best of all. Backyard wedding, which the bride always wanted. 80 guests, band whose members were friends of the groom’s father (who was deceased - band played in honor of him for his son’s wedding), food was a pig roast by another friend. Big tent & ‘facilities’ were rented. The tent, with lights strung up, looked like something out of a fairy tale. This was during the WuFlu & there were no issues with a venue canceling the wedding (venue cancellation happened to several couples we know). Masks were available, but only a couple of elderly wore them & they quickly came off when eating/dancing got started. No one got sick. It was a fabulous wedding, start to finish- very meaningful to all. Bridesmaids dresses & wedding gown purchased online & were inexpensive & beautiful. Groom’s mom did the flowers - spectacular job. A great wedding does not have to be ‘break the bank expensive’.
My daughter has an infrequent side gig as a wedding planner. A discount wedding planner. Most of her friends are actually practical. A couple years ago, she pulled off a wedding for 120 people for just over $5,000.
36 years ago, ours was about $2,000 with 150 people. A while back my wife and her cousin, who was just a kid at the time were reminiscing. Her cousin was talking all about how fun our dirt cheap wedding was.
I gotta tell you, there’s something kinda cool about paying for a casket at the checkout at Costco.
The funeral director was impressed with the quality and cost.
A wedding is supposed to be a point of departure. How did it become a destination?
That makes sense to me because in those days, you went to a tailor and ordered a bespoke suit made especially for you. It was a big deal. Also in those days you had vests, hats, and ornaments like cufflinks to deal with.
Nowadays you get them off the rack with only minor fitting adjustments needed. Mass produced in some Asian country. Most grooms will just rent their suit (tux) for the day.
Wedding AI app
I had a skank cousin like that. She got knocked up by her boyfriend so she divorced her husband. She called me one day to tell me she was marrying the jerk.
I told her that the batteries in the clock we gave her for her first wedding still worked so consider that her gift.
Like having a baby.
30k?? LOL, the most recent one I went to was closer to $75,000+
$30,000? My wife works wedding banquets, typically these weddings go in the $130,000 range. Unbelievable to me people will spend that kind of money to start out instead of using it for the down payment on a house. My wife and I spent $1500 on our wedding. We had 250 people, a beautiful venue, two professional chefs, and the best band in the area. It was a great party for our area. Our wedding gift, a septic system, no joke. We’ve been together for 43 years.
The parents nearly always pay for a big wedding.
Crazy!!! My wife and are are 28+ years. Our wedding cost less than $200. $100 for the Justice of the Peace and then less than $100 for lunch at the Lilac Blossom with me, my wife, my parents, my brother, and his wife. That’s it.
My wife and I were married in our living room. Preacher and two witnesses present. Afterwards we went out and played a few games of pool. Coming up on 23 years, so it must have worked as well as a big wedding.
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