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#1: StraitGate    To: Horse (#0)

Elope. It's cheaper.

My wife and I gave each of our several daughters a fixed and modest amount of money when they married. "Spend some or all of it on wedding, or elope and save it all." None of them eloped.

The Wedding Industrial Complex is nauseating. Kids these days spend more on a photographer -- or a stupid DJ -- than I recently spent getting my truck's transmission completely rebuilt.

StraitGate posted on 2020-02-29 00:03:17   Reply   Private Reply

#2: Horse    To: StraitGate (#1)

Lucky you are not a Mormon. My oldest cousin converted and became a Mormon. She had 8 children in a two bedroom house with one bathroom. Forget financing weddings.

Horse posted on 2020-02-29 00:55:53   Reply   Private Reply

#3: BTP Holdings    To: StraitGate (#1)

The Wedding Industrial Complex is nauseating.

The florist shop I worked for in Illinois back in the late 70s closed up in late 90s. The owner was a millionaire a long while by that time.

I set up many Jewish weddings and tore down even more doing midnight pick ups.

One time we went to the Ambassador West Hotel on Chicago to pick up. When we got there the band was still playing and people were dancing. The guy that was with me started to take the centerpieces from the tables.

I told him, "You can't do that when they are still dancing." He said. I'm going out for a beer." He never came back and I had to get all that crap out of there by myself.

I was sitting in a bar a few years later and who walks in? You guessed it. The guy that took off on me at that wedding.

He had a cane. I asked, "What happened to you?" He said, "MS." Muscular Sclerosis.

He is likely dead by now. :-O

BTP Holdings posted on 2020-02-29 02:30:17   Reply   Private Reply

#4: ghostdogtxn    To: StraitGate (#1)

ghostdogtxn posted on 2020-02-29 08:59:53   Reply   Private Reply

#5: Lod    To: StraitGate, fathers of the brides, 4 (#1)

Forty-two years ago this August, we were offered 10K to blow-off the big wedding and find the nearest JP Court for our nuptials, but Mrs. L wanted the full effect, so that's what happened.

I guess that it's every girl's dream to have the fairy tale service, reception, costuming, and all that it entails. $$$$$

My parents got off cheap with just the dinner.

Lod posted on 2020-02-29 09:03:24   Reply   Private Reply

#6: Lod    To: ghostdogtxn (#4)

I made the money to spend on those I love.

And that's the key to all of it. Thanks.

Lod posted on 2020-02-29 09:06:25   Reply   Private Reply

#7: StraitGate    To: ghostdogtxn (#4)

I made the money to spend on those I love.

I'm all for that!

But for many folks, the money they spend on what I consider to be an overpriced wedding would be better spent on things more practical. The fact that stamping nuptials with significance used to cost a lot less than what it does now (even adjusting for inflation) supports the notion of a Wedding Industrial Complex that pressures people to overspend.

We're 38 years into a happy marriage here, and we never look at our wedding photos. And the money we might have spent on a high priced photographer has often come in handy over the years for food, shelter, education, transportation, and such.

I've officiated at a few weddings (used to be a preacher), and the happiest couple I ever hitched were married in Grandmother's back yard on a shoestring budget.

StraitGate posted on 2020-02-29 09:40:59   Reply   Private Reply

#8: Lod    To: StraitGate, ghostdogtxn, 4 (#7)

It seems like the higher the cost of the ceremony, the shorter the life of the marriage.

An observation, not a rule.

Lod posted on 2020-02-29 10:00:13   Reply   Private Reply

#9: ghostdogtxn    To: Lod (#8)

ghostdogtxn posted on 2020-03-01 10:40:24   Reply   Private Reply