I am about ready to cry right now ...
I'm from Oklahoma -- small-town Oklahoma, at that. I remember when I was in the sixth grade, my mom's bosses each built huge, expensive houses right off the country club golf course. Their houses were incredibly expensive -- more than $200,000 each.
I remember in history at OU, my professor was lecturing, and he mentioned a $200,000 home being a pretty standard, smaller-sized home. "What?!" I asked the person next to me. "A $200,000 house is huge!"
The girl looked at me strangely. "Where are you from?" she asked.
I've read the national average for weddings is $20,000. To me, that's insane! It's one day. One. Granted, it's one big special day, but still. I can't even begin to imagine what all you have to do to spend twenty thousand dollars -- I'm writing it out so you can see how huge that is -- in one day.
Color me naive, but I'd hoped K and I could plan our wedding for $10,000. If we just so happen to make it out spending $7,000, even better!
I don't need a fancy $3,000 wedding dress. I'm only going to wear it for four or five hours. To me, a white dress is a white dress -- and this is coming from a girl who loves clothes. I want to spend less than $500 on a wedding dress because dangit, I make the clothes! (Really, I'd like to spend $300 on a dress.)
(Starting to get angry here)
What is wrong with the world? I'm not a cheapskate. I've earned my own money since I was 12, and I know what it takes to save it. I know the value of a dollar, and I just can't see the logic in spending more than my car on one day.
I drive a nice car. I dress nice. I own nice things. Same for K. But we can't afford to have a $30,000 wedding. Or $20,000, really. And that's okay.
But why the hell do the three people I've talked to about locations today talk to me like I'm a cheap idiot when I gawk at spending $30,000 on a wedding and reception?!
I guess everything really is bigger in Texas -- the prices and the levels of insanity.
11 comments:
I agree that is way too much to spend on a wedding. I would rather go cheaper and have that money to put down on a new house or something. Let me say 8 years down the road you a just as married as the person who spent way to much. You will find the perfect place! I can get you a great deal in Hawaii!
i honestly can't even fathom spending $10,000 on a wedding, let alone $20,000 or $30,000. i had my dream wedding for less than $5,000...and i didn't have to skimp on anything. photographers are the biggest expense, and i just refuse to pay $3,000 for pictures. our photographer worked for the chapel where we had our wedding, and our pictures are fabulous.
You're right - weddings are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Set a budget, set a goal, and stick to it. If you want recs in Dallas, I've got a few. Our biggest splurge was photography, because it's the only thing left from the wedding that you'll actually see or look at.
I agree that you can make you day fabulous with a lot of money or a little money. Just choose where you want to spend your money and cut back on the other things. My big splurges were on photographer, open bar (because I refused to make people pay for drinks at my wedding), and flowers. In the end, it's your happiness that really matters.
My sister's wedding was almost 30k. Yes way to much I agree but she had everything the way you imagined her wedding day to be. She is so particular about everything that she didn't want to go cheap or miss out on anything. I can't even fathom where my family came up with that money. Heck where will they even get any money to pay for anything for me is what I said.
But you can do it cheaply you just have to realize what you want and what you can live without. Food and alcohol are almot the most expensive things of a wedding.
Good luck! I will be thinking about you!
Completely agree. We had a small (budget-wise) wedding, but honestly, I wouldn't have done anything differently. It was beautiful, I felt beautiful, my husband was pleased, the pictures were great and everyone enjoyed the food! Beauty and happiness DO NOT have to cost $30k.
Good luck! :)
Yeah I'm currently watching my BF spend LOADS of money (or rather her parents) on her dream wedding, and I'm reminding myself over and over that it will not be the same situation for me. But I've seen plenty of weddings that weren't that extravagant but still so great. For example, my friend got married outside (in Northern CA), very low key with picnic tables and a d.j. but it was probably the most fun wedding I've ever been to. I personally would spend a lot on pictures, because that is what you have to remember your day by. Everything else, you should hopefully be able to get good deals. But what do I know? I haven't had to go through it yet.
I live in an area where 200K for a house is none existant! a one bedroom condo goes for 400K!!! its insane! and yet, my friend got married in the most amazing wedding i have ever been too for $9,000. The biggest expense was the photos... so yeah, good for you for sticking to your guns and not getting carried away!
Oh did I mention that I know a great photographer who could cut you a great deal in Hawaii?
My wife and I spent $8000 total on the wedding. She was married before ( JP ceremony ) and I had never been married and I was in my 30's so we didn't accept help from anyone with paying. We did the invitations ourselves and only spent the money on the photographer and the honeymoon, everything else gets forgotten.
~Jef
HA! Kyle and I looked at $669,000 one bedroom, one bathroom CONDO today. Kill me.
As for the wedding - I hear it gets costly very fast. Food, drinks, pictures. $$$.
One really neat idea my friend had was to buy all the flowers at Costco/Sam's/Price Club the day before the wedding and then have all the bridesmaid get together after the rehearsal dinner and MAKE their own bouquets and the center pieces for the tables. They came BEAUTIFUL and it was such a neat bonding experience for all the bridesmaid. Plus WAY cheaper than a professional florist.
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