It seems that every time I open a newspaper or magazine I am confronted by a mousey girl bragging about how she spent a grand total of $800 on her wedding including dress, food, flowers ceremony and photographs. Frankly, I find it insulting, degrading and in bad taste.
I am well aware that many people have very tight budgets for their weddings. They can’t afford a wedding with all the bells and whistles. I get that. I also feel it’s a shame as I believe all couples deserve the very best on their wedding day. The bit that messes with my head is the bragging about it.
Although I have never had a girl come up to me at a wedding and boast about the big bucks she spent on her wedding, I am often cornered by someone who wants to tell me all about how little they spent on theirs. Sure have a small wedding on a budget so you can afford a house deposit. Good on you. I agree too many people spend too much on their wedding day just to impress others. However, it’s their wedding, they can do what they want. It’s none of my business.
It’s still none of my business and I’d rather not know, but when you openly brag about how little you spend, you are doing the opposite. You’re belittling your wedding, your spouse and your relationship.
In effect, by bragging about cheap weddings, the bride is saying “I admit it. My marriage isn’t worth much.”. Or “I don’t really value my husband. Getting married was only worth a few dollars to me.”.
No-one ever brags about how much it cost for a family member’s funeral. Why? Because it would be an insult to their memory to tell everyone you managed to bury Grandma for $500 by packing her into a few old fruit boxes. I think it should be the same for weddings. Sure, spend what you want but keep the figure to yourself.
By the way. I have no idea what my wife and I spent on our wedding. We had a budget, did what we wanted and I never totalled it up in the end. My marriage is about more than a few numbers missing from a bank balance.