When did weddings become such a production?

About the whole mark up of things when wedding is mentioned, is totally true! I can't remember who told me this, but apparently a friend of their's who owns/runs some kind of company held his wedding at the buisness and called it 'customer appreciatiom day' and only invited his and his wife's close family and friends, so he got a wicked deal on stuff (hey, it wasn't a wedding!) and claimed some of it on his tax return as business expenses...lol, But I guess a majority of their family and friends DID in fact shop there and were customers...it was just 'select' customers customer appreciation day........Wether this story is true or not, I don't know..

I don't agree with people who spend thousands upon thousands upon thousands of money they don't have. I would never take out a loan or rack up the credit card bills to pay for my wedding. I understand somethings have to go on the card and can be paid off with in a month or two afterwards that I get. Couples that are established in their lives already with their homes and jobs and can afford to have a larger wedding and if they choose so I hold nothing against them. I on the other had would rather put $60 thousand towards a mortgage on my FH and I's first home or pay off my student loans. Even though we are both older then some this is both of our first marriages. I'm an only child and he is the oldest of 2 boys in his family. Both our parents are helping with parts of our wedding but we are paying for most of it. We both agree that if we can't afford it for the wedding then we just don't have it.

If my first marriage failed after having a "princess wedding" I don't really think I would blame the style of my wedding as part of the reason for getting divorced. I think the majority of brides understand that the wedding day and the marriage are two different things but I also think that spending money on good food, a nice venue, and a dress I feel beautiful in will make the celebration more enjoyable for my guests, my hubby and I. I too would be more than ecstatic to marry my fh tomorrow with just our priest there but it is more fun to have a party

Well, I am an older bride who had never been married before, and I opted for a very simple, very intimate wedding. I had no desire for a "full frills" wedding - especially since everything was coming out of our pockets. I thoroughly enjoyed my wedding, even though it certainly didn't measure up to the extravagance of today's demands. But who cares?

I do remember when weddings were more simple affairs, unless your parents were exceptionally wealthy. It's funny how the '80s came in, the decade of extreme consumerism and over the top displays of extravagance, and weddings reflected that decade. And then...that '80s ideal of over abundance never quite worked it's way out of the following decades, as it did in other things. Just...weird.

I thought the average wedding was over the top back in 1977, when I married for the first time. Back then, though, I figured that eventually people would catch on and tone down the weddings. Instead, things seem to have gone the other way. The average cost of a wedding back then was about $3,000 to $4,000, or $10,792.62 to $14,390.17 in today's dollars. Today, the average cost is about $20,000 to $30,000.

And just to look at one aspect of the cost, consider the rings. In 1977, the typical engagement ring was a diamond solitaire, and the typical wedding ring was a plain gold band. Today, the main diamond is typically larger than it was in 1977, plus there are often other diamonds on the engagement ring as well. And the wedding ring often has diamonds as well. What used to be essentially a symbol that you were married has become a major cost item.

I don't like the way the industry plays on emotions in order to make you feel like you have to spend more money than you planned on in order to have the "perfect" day or to have a "quality" wedding.

Weddings are truly what you want them to be. If you want the big production, you can do that. If you want a small, intimate wedding..you can do that. If you want something in between, you can do that.

Do not let anyone tell you what is right for you. Make this day what you want it to be.