How Much for a Wedding!!!
ING Direct recently released data indicating that the average cost of a wedding has reached £18,500! I don’t follow the currency markets closely, but that’s in the $30-40K range!
Holy Crap!
I know… I know. It’s a (hopefully) once in a lifetime kind of day, but for serious, that’s a lot of freakin’ money! That’s a college education, a few cars or a nice down payments on a house… that you can live in for the NEXT HUNDRED YEARS!
Jeremy, over at Make Wealth History, has gathered a few fantastic remarks about the data including this one which has wonderful flair:
“The spectacle involved in modern marriage is in inverse proportion to its meaning. The more devoid of content the institution becomes, the more a grotesquely postmodern, style-over-substance principle applies. The entire event becomes a swaggering parody of some bygone society wedding.”
Now, I don’t recall exactly what we paid for our wedding, but I KNOW it wasn’t anywhere close to this. Kerri estimates $3000-5000 all in. Even adjusting for inflation we’re still talking less than $7000… dinner for more than 100 guests included!
Hannah Betts, mentioned over at MWH has it right: The wedding is the premise of the marriage, not its pinnacle.
Tags: marriage, money, weddingsPOSTED IN: Marriage & Money, Marriage & Weddings
3 opinions for How Much for a Wedding!!!
mmclassics
Apr 7, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Married 17 years - 3 kids later. It is interesting to us that most of the really expensive wedding/parties that we went to ended in failure. We were grateful to live in the South, and attend protestant churches. Most people here don’t expect the huge post wedding dinner. We did work with the church catering, and my family to include more substantial finger foods at the reception. Many were prepared in our own kitchen! We were careful to have Kosher tables as well for several college friends. No one should need to wait years to save for a wedding, or take out a loan - BEFORE getting married. It is too much stress.
Ashey
Apr 11, 2008 at 9:55 am
We got married in my mom’s backyard (beautiful flowers gardens, and an ivy-covered arch). I did wear a real wedding gown, but my husband and his groomsman wore white shirts and khakis (hot summer in Arkansas) and my brides maids wore simple black dresses. We popped for really pretty flowers and had finger foods afterwards. I have never had any regrets. I think it is so silly to have a huge wedding unless you really are wealthy and can afford it. Our sights were set on an awesome marriage, not an awesome wedding. I still have no regrets about doing it small and simple - and we’re still happily married.
Bald Man
Apr 21, 2008 at 8:25 pm
mm,
I wonder if there is a causal connection between the fancy wedding and future troubles after the wedding. While I enjoyed the day thoroughly, I how things might have been different had we taken up my in-laws offer to elope. :)
Ashey,
We had a lot of help from friends and family, too. There was a flower party in a friends basement; Kerri’s mom and aunts made our cake - Yum! - and I remember doing what I could to help dress up the gymnasium/sanctuary at the church we were attending at the time. The memories of creating the day with loved ones make it that much dearer.
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