According to the Cost of Wedding, “[t]he average wedding cost in the United States is $26,645. Couples typically spend between $19,984 and $33,306 but, most couples spend less than $10,000. This does not include cost for a honeymoon.”
Where I live, the average couple spends “between $29,390 and $48,983” for their wedding.
This is ABSURD!
I understand the idea of wanting a day to celebrate your new life with your family and friends in a breathtaking dress and a kick ass party.
But at what cost are we willing to do this?
Personally, my husband and I went to city hall and had lunch with our immediate family afterwards. Was it a truly memorable day? Not really.
I would have loved to have worn an incredible pink dress and have a multi-tiered cake. But we knew that we wanted to become homeowners and taking on debt for a large wedding would have made that impossible. So instead, we bought a house.
A lot of women dream about their wedding day since they were young girls, but I often find that the dream of the wedding overshadows what that ceremony is meant to represent: love.
If you really think about it – anyone can get married, but not all marriages last unfortunately (I think Kim Kardashian is on her third). It is easy to sign papers and pay for a marriage certificate. What isn’t so easy is staying married for 10 years. Anniversaries are the occasions we should really be celebrating.
For me, 2017 marks my 4 year wedding anniversary with my husband, and 13 years of being together. While my wedding wasn’t exciting, the idea of spending a lifetime with my boo is the true blessing I look forward to celebrating.
My close friend is currently getting married in May. Seeing her go through the stress and budget balancing got me wondering if things could be different. Granted, I am all for the pretty dresses but do we need all of the trimmings to get hitched?
Could we say #NOTOTHEWEDDING and #YESTOTHEJOURNEY?
What do you say?
P.S. I’m not advocating against fantasy weddings at all, only against taking on stress & debt in order to get it.
~ Natasha