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LOL, yeah, there is zero chance you could throw a wedding for 300 people for $5K unless it was 1876.
I always find it ridiculous that people have weddings of 200 or 300 people, though, I'm sorry but get real. Nobody knows that many people they actually care about, it's ludicrous, oh gee let's invite everyone we've ever met in life! Uhh, yeah, why? Why would you do that? Weddings are INCREDIBLY BORING and just an obligation for anyone invited, so do everyone a favor and that old college roommate you haven't seen in years, just leave them off the list. I think our wedding will be 80 people total. No need for a ridiculous amount of people and the only reason it'd even be 80 is because of people's stupid +1s.
lol, my father is the baby of 13 children. All of his siblings had 4-5 kids. ok so now throw in spouses. and by the time I came around those 4-5 kids had 2-3 kids of their own. You do the math. All my first cousins are way older than me, I grew up with actually my 2nd cousins and I think I have 27 of them.
My Aunt Q turned 100 last year and we had a huge celebration at Disneyworld. there were close to 300 people and yes, I'm pretty close to a bunch of them.
my youngest son graduated from Temple, we went back to Disney world with 17 people.
When I go married right out of college, I didn't invite my roommates, lol they were my bridesmaids and one of them ended up marrying her escort the following year.
lol now let's talk about my late husbands jungle tribe......
I find surveys of this nature of dubious quality and the methodology often self-serving. Who are the 12,000 couples? Subscribers of "The Knot.com" ? If so, the results are probably skewed to those looking for a high-end wedding. Drilling down into the data, average of $2,000 for wedding planner and $1,000 for hair/make up speaks volumes. Also is the $33,000 an arithmetic average that includes $100,000 weddings.
Having said that, a wedding, for most people, is a once in a lifetime event and should be measured in relation to how money is otherwise spent over one's lifetime. For example, I spent a considerable amount on private education for my daughter and some people felt it was a waste of money. Yet, these same people spent a small fortune on shiny new SUV's and trucks while I always drove a late model car saving on purchase price and insurance over many years. A new car was never important to me. We have the cheapest cell phone/cable plan anywhere. I have a neighbor who spends about $350 a weekend on golf. I find it interesting that few people make comparable negative judgments on these recurring expenses that over a lifetime may exceed what one spends on a wedding day.
I will marry no one who insists on an expensive wedding. That's a recipe for disaster, IMO, and I'm having no part of it in my marriage. That I know people who are going deeply into debt for a wedding (worse, many of these people end up divorced a little while after) is distressing. At the end of the day, though, as long as I'm not required to pay for any part of it, I say do what you want.
I will marry no one who insists on an expensive wedding. That's a recipe for disaster, IMO, and I'm having no part of it in my marriage. That I know people who are going deeply into debt for a wedding (worse, many of these people end up divorced a little while after) is distressing. At the end of the day, though, as long as I'm not required to pay for any part of it, I say do what you want.
If the bride/her family is wealthy, then that would change things. But if she/they don't, the fact that the bride/her family is paying for the wedding doesn't change things for me as its still shows a huge level of irresponsibility and poor judgement. That money can be better spent/invested, IMO.
Weddings are a colossal waste of money. Seems to be for the bride to have her special day. I never understood why it is so important to make such a show out of getting married. Marriages don’t last long today. Keep this in mind. Lots of things to consider when getting married also.
If i got married now, id have 1 unmarried sibling, 8 first cousins, one unmarried and their spouses, so add another 15 people, my father makes 17, one aunt and one uncle for a total of 21, my FIL makes 22. Plus 2 married friends makes 24, and my best friend AND wife make 26. One of those friends would officiate, but say we had a separate minister and wife to invite, plus an old female friend and husband to aid my OH as assistants, so 30 total guests, plus us 2. Our mothers have passed. And my OH is an only child, with only a couple of estranged cousins, who wouldnt attend, let alone be invited.
If it was $30/plate for meal and venue would cost $960.00. Lets say the venue was additional $2500 for that party, and a decent photographer could be had for $1k plus say a $1500 portait package. Lets say tge minister charges $250 ( my friend charges $100+ up to 150). I find all these charges outrageous of course. Attire rental or purchase estimated to be kept to $3k, and gifts for 1 Assistant each @$100.
I admit to not knowing exact charges.
That would be a "big wedding to me. Total cost? $9400 ish, under $10k. I can see where a larger group could easily spend $30k. Or the charges i list above could be way too high.so maybe $5k instead.
Assuming of course, that all actually came.
We actually had our friend marry us. We been there 18 years. Total party 5 people under the pergola on his farm ette. His spouse and Assistant put together a sandwich lunch for us.
The OP is not, i think, suggesting $30k is outrageous, but rather pointing out that funding invested would be a tidy sum IF the marriage lasted.
Some people tend to invite people they know well and barely know hoping for a BIG return in cash gifts, especially if they already have households. I think that is also outrageous. And where they register and what they register is NOT likely to be a cheap Correlle dinner set.
But as i pointed out earlier little girls are "trained" to be a "princess " from a very young age. They want the "princess fairy tale " wedding, and its all about how beautiful she will be in THE DRESS, the RIGHT dress. Regardless of cost or at the maximum a budget for it can buy. All for a dress she will wear one day, and will only hope that she can pass onto her daughter, should she have one. But like most daughters or rather many daughters, she wont want to wear mummy's dress, she'll want her own. So a thousand or multiples thereof for pne days use seems excessive to me. But im more practical. The only thing missing here is the knight in shining armor on a white horse who saves her and she naturally falls in love with him
Each to their own.
And i agree, if she saved it she should spend it as she wishes. Going into debt for all that though, should raise eyebrows.
Best to all wedded bliss people. Past present and future.
But as i pointed out earlier little girls are "trained" to be a "princess " from a very young age. They want the "princess fairy tale " wedding, and its all about how beautiful she will be in THE DRESS, the RIGHT dress. Regardless of cost or at the maximum a budget for it can buy. All for a dress she will wear one day, and will only hope that she can pass onto her daughter, should she have one. But like most daughters or rather many daughters, she wont want to wear mummy's dress, she'll want her own. So a thousand or multiples thereof for pne days use seems excessive to me. But im more practical. The only thing missing here is the knight in shining armor on a white horse who saves her and she naturally falls in love with him:
That's enough stereotyping of women.
And also, I don't blame a woman who doesn't want to wear a 30-year old dress on her wedding day. I didn't wear my mom's gown either. Do you normally wear clothing that old? Would you show up at a party wearing your dad's 30 year old tuxedo? Or wear a 30 year old suit to a job interview?
Anyway, what people do with their money is their own business.
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