Posted on 04/11/2005 8:59:33 AM PDT by qam1
What makes more sense to me is to have the big party A) after they've been married 25 years and actually have something meaningful to celebrate, and B) when they can afford it.
Got married by the police chaplain in my apartment when I graduated the academy. $100.00, tops. $750 for the engagement ring. If it would have cost $26,000, I'd still be single.
It's sad to say, but I know of a half-dozen or so couples where one of them became "unhappy" after 7-10 years. Were they abused, did their spouse run around on them, was their spouse lazy and couldn't hold a job? No...their significant other just became, "unhappy."
"I didn't get the big huge wedding gene (I think I got the big huge butt gene instead ;-))."
I almost fell off my chair laughing when I read this but my butt kept me firmly anchored. I've never been married but if I do get hitched it will be a very small wedding but a nice big picnic/party at a later date for friends and family.
Never was into the girly girl pricess wedding thing.
Oh, yea, and coming up on 19 years May 20. Hmm, better put that on the calendar...........
Wow! Seeing stuff like that sometimes makes me glad Mr. Ex and I eloped...we were only out the cost of our marriage license, lol! I wore a simple white dress I already owned, and he wore new jeans, a Western shirt and Ropers that HE already owned. We didn't even buy our rings until five months later. (Wowee, did he give me a nice engagement ring for Christmas that year, though, which I wasn't expecting!) :)
You damn right!
The bride and groom should take that money and buy a house with thick curtains and a great big bed. That's the happiness. A bit of financial security and plenty of sweet, sweet lovin'.
"The "princess for a day" thing is such a foolish thing to rack up debt for before the marriage has even started."
Yep, add to that the fact that most couples argue of money and their debt is the biggest stress factor and these couples are just mixing the divorce recipe! Talk about self fulfilling prophecies....
Did he at least buy a nice ladder?
Robert Johnson-esque ping.
My wife and I were married in the mid-70s. The wedding cost around $150, and most of that was for a dinner-reception for the immediate family only. Her uncle was the minster and we used his church. The ceremony took about 15 minutes. My uncle was the photographer. She had a friend make her wedding dress at low cost. I wore a sport jacket and slacks.
30 years, 7 kids, and 5 grandkids later it's still going strong.
Mrs. Moment and I saved the cost of the party and got married by the local JP. 11 years later, we're still just as married, still happy, and still $26,000 ahead.
IMO, this HUGE wedding business is absolutely ridiculous!!!
I think we spent no more than $500.00, tops. I waited 23 years for the fancy ring. The one I got more than made up for the wait. We'll have our 25th in a few weeks.
Another of our long lost sisters! LOL!!
Weddings seem to bring out so much tension in relationships, too. The old saying, "Too many cooks spoil the broth" comes to mind. Everyone from parents to friends want you to do things their way.
My mother in-law and sister in-law didn't speak for a year after SIL's wedding. Why?? Because she had the nerve to have her attendants walk down the aisle NOT in height order! I mean, come on- how petty can you be? But MIL thought this was just completely unreasonable.
My wedding cost slightly over $20K but we recouped that and profited after all the cash and checks from guests were totalled up.
Not tabulating the misc. will cause anyone to go bankrupt, and not just in a wedding. Mr. M and I married 18 years ago and total cost from gown to appetizers to the victorian b&b was right at $450. I have to say that my best friend got hitched two weeks later and her gown alone was over $2000 and she was ticked because mine was waaay nicer. It's ludicrous to spend what amounts to a new car or a hefty downpayment on a house on a couple hours of one's life. If a bride needs a spreadsheet, the groom may want to think twice what her future drain on the family income may be.
Daaang..
Well, the two of us are neck and neck in salary so the drain works on both of us equally :)
I didn't pay that much for all three of my weddings.
$26k?
That would buy a pair or decent Harleys. And they'd both be happier.
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