Does getting married have to cost so much? (marriage, woman, engagement)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
First, there is the engagement ring, $5-6k (after tax) is a minimum expectation it seems these days, then wedding bands (another $1k) then the wedding itself... looking around $25-30k seems to be the average, then the honeymoon, another $5k or so... when all is said and done we're talking close to $50k!!
And this seems to be very average, not high end at all.
My question, how do people afford it? Especially considering that marriage often means starting a new family which leads to even more very high expenses - buying a home, family cars, kids etc.
How many people can blow this kind of money and then continue into making expensive choices like buying homes and having kids?
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
26,701 posts, read 41,786,605 times
Reputation: 41386
Quote:
Originally Posted by ducviloxi
First, there is the engagement ring, $5-6k (after tax) is a minimum expectation it seems these days, then wedding bands (another $1k) then the wedding itself... looking around $25-30k seems to be the average, then the honeymoon, another $5k or so... when all is said and done we're talking close to $50k!!
And this seems to be very average, not high end at all.
My question, how do people afford it? Especially considering that marriage often means starting a new family which leads to even more very high expenses - buying a home, family cars, kids etc.
How many people can blow this kind of money and then continue into making expensive choices like buying homes and having kids?
No it does not. Find a woman who is happy with a small ring and wedding band, who don't mind getting married at the county courthouse, and who realizes it makes no difference where you go on the honeymoon anyway since you (if you are doing it right) will spend most of it in bed.
No, getting married does not HAVE to cost that much. BUt $30K is the average for a wedding.
This pretty much sums it up simply and accurately.
Sadly, I might add.... If you find yourself struggling/stressed about spending 30k/50K for a wedding, then either you or your parents are not at least middle to upper class.
Middle to upper class incomes can afford such weddings without excessive credit card debt.
And if you can't afford such a wedding, then scale it down.
Starting a marriage with 20K in wedding debt is not a good way to start a marriage.
There is always going to be the, "what do I want?" vs, "what can I afford?" issue.
Weddings, and engagements, should be based upon the means of the couple involved. Anything else is just poor taste. If you have a good income and are just too cheap to buy a nice engagement ring, that's another subject.
I think what drives up the cost are family obligations, i.e., the parents are invited to their friends and other relatives weddings, so they must reciprocate. As you add people to the guest list the cost grows. We've been invited to a friend's daughter wedding and I happen to work at the same place as the groom. I believe they are footing the bill themselves, so it looks to be a low cost wedding (dessert reception at the church). I applaud them for not going into debt for it (I was hand delivered the invitation at work).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
