Where can I do an inexpensive wedding in northern virginia? (Richmond: renting, house)

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Yankeesfan

(I've seen that a lot of men, in particular, aren't buying gold bands because of the cost; there are nice alternatives.)

Yes, there are nice alternatives, but be careful if selecting a titanium ring. While they do look nice, last forever, and are inexpensive, there is a big drawback to them.

Because they are so strong, the ring cannot be cut off in case of an accident (and your hand/ finger is swelling). In this case, if the ring cannot be cut off, your finger will be.

Probably a low risk for most men, but the risk dramatically increases for anyone that works with their hands, tools, construction, etc.

[HereinVA]

Originally Posted by Denton56

I don't know how you could do more than nice rings and a nice trip for $5,000.

I agree. Honestly, if you have a budget of only $5000, you can have a nice trip OR nice rings...and no wedding.

[Yankeesfan]

Originally Posted by spencgr

Yes, there are nice alternatives, but be careful if selecting a titanium ring. While they do look nice, last forever, and are inexpensive, there is a big drawback to them.

Because they are so strong, the ring cannot be cut off in case of an accident (and your hand/ finger is swelling). In this case, if the ring cannot be cut off, your finger will be.

Probably a low risk for most men, but the risk dramatically increases for anyone that works with their hands, tools, construction, etc.

Interesting! And scary.

[Denton56]

How much can simple gold band cost? Or even platinum? I know nice diamonds are expensive, but if you can't afford a gold band, can you afford to get married?

[Denton56]

Originally Posted by squareone0

They are helping me a little bit, actually, but they just don't have that kind of money. It would be nice if they could, but I've been working for a long time, so I can't really expect them to.

While I understand if parents don't have the money, but I don't understand why parents would withhold financial support simply because their child had gone to college and had been working for a number of years. Shouldn't working be rewarded, not punished?

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by Denton56

While I understand if parents don't have the money, but I don't understand why parents would withhold financial support simply because their child had gone to college and had been working for a number of years. Shouldn't working be rewarded, not punished?

If I had all the money in the world, I would pay for my DD to have a wedding. But the reality is that I don't and, personally, think that big, lavish $30,000-$50,000 weddings are ridiculous for someone who is not financially set for retirement.

I am a very debt-adverse person so I would NEVER finance something like that and I while I may have $30,000 on hand or access to it, it is crazy to blow it on a party. I don't have pension, I may well live into my 90s. I need to use my money for that.

If my child has got a good career, has been single for many years, she should have banked enough to pay a good portion of that versus expecting her aging parents to bankroll something like that. Again, not against it at all if you can cast off that kind of money and not have it affect your future financial stability but too many people aren't in that boat.

[Caladium]

I'm in favor of simple weddings. I'm also a fan of simple wedding bands, which can be upgraded to celebrate a 5-year or 10-year anniversary.

Here are some out of the box ideas for the ceremony. I have no idea if they're doable or how much it might cost, but if any of these sound interesting it might be worth looking into:

1. Rent White's Ferry for an hour. Everyone boards the ferry, and you get married in the middle of a scenic part of the Potomac. White's Ferry isn't that busy, so they might be open to the idea. It could be great publicity for them.

2. Is there an attractive business park nearby that would be willing to let you hold an outdoor wedding? There are some office parks in Herndon and Reston that would be gorgeous places to hold weddings. The Sallie Mae property in Reston, for example, or the little park next to the AT&T Building.

Think how pretty it could be to have a wedding here, for example:



3. Algonkian Park has these really cool cabins right on the Potomac. They're surprisingly inexpensive. Rent the biggest one and dress it up for a wedding. Or, maybe use two cabins for the reception (I'm not sure how good the kitchens are in these cabins, however.)

[Caladium]

Another idea: Get legally married at city hall the day before the wedding. That's a lot less expensive than hiring an official person to to come to your wedding ceremony. Since you will be legally married, you can then have a friend (or someone else who's special to you) perform a fancier ceremony in front of your family and friends the next day. Your friend would probably be very honored by this, and it could be a very touching and personal ceremony.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by Denton56

While I understand if parents don't have the money, but I don't understand why parents would withhold financial support simply because their child had gone to college and had been working for a number of years. Shouldn't working be rewarded, not punished?

But then where do you draw the line? Should parents pay for grad school, buy the couple a house, buy them cars, pay for the grandkids schooling too? College seems like a very logical place to draw the line--you've given them the tools to be self sufficient. If they're old enough to get married, they should be old enough to finance a wedding.

My parents could have paid for the whole wedding. I would have been embarrassed by it, to be honest. I would not have felt like an adult if I needed mommy and daddy to foot my bills when I had a job. Plus, I really want my parents to get to enjoy retirement. My wedding was ~$25k. Between my sister and I, that's $50k that could go towards my dad leaving work earlier.

What absolutely KILLS me is the people whose parents pay for a wedding but not college (I went to one of those). The wedding was over $100k, and bride's parents footed the whole bill. They had asked her to transfer schools after her freshman year of college though, because they "couldn't afford" for her to attend out of state, despite the fact that she loved it and the school had a great program for what she was studying. I guess everyone has different priorities.

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

But then where do you draw the line? Should parents pay for grad school, buy the couple a house, buy them cars, pay for the grandkids schooling too? College seems like a very logical place to draw the line--you've given them the tools to be self sufficient. If they're old enough to get married, they should be old enough to finance a wedding.

I knew someone like this. Her parents paid for her bachelor's degree. Then paid for her master's degree. They paid for her credit cards and whenever she needed new clothes, etc. Two months after gettinf her master's degree, she got married and they paid for everything with her wedding (including the bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, honeymoon, reception at a country club, etc.). She wanted a house before the marriage and they paid for that too. The house was not "suitable" for her and the fiance (a 1970s 2-story split-level) so they had a bunch of construction done before the wedding so they could move in right after the wedding. Her parents paid for the construction too.

She didn't like her new in-laws because, among other things, they were blue-collar, possessed poor manners, too loud, and didn't (or couldn't) afford to pay for things she thought they should.

She had a part-time job during grad school which barely paid for anything and complained about how much she had to work while studying, how far she had to drive from work to school, wah, wah, wah. When she finished her master's degree, the same organization offered her a full-time job but it wasn't enough money (according to her) and she complained about why she should make more money and be in a higher position because she was younger, had more degrees than her co-workers, and was adept at all the latest technologies (i.e., Facebook, twitter, aps, etc.).

Spoiled rotten IMO.