Matrimony and Money

Ah, June, the traditional month for weddings.  I was a June bride myself fourteen years ago.  It was a perfect day - the only hitch being the photo session running a little longer than planned.

When I added up the receipts later, I found that the entire weekend – including my dress for $1000, the 5-day rental for a mini-van, the photographer, the flowers, the rings, and the reception buffet – cost about $4000.  Not bad, I would say.  And it was all planned and executed in four months.  Even better.  And we’re still happily married.  Best of all.

I think it’s safe to say that happy marriages aren’t founded on expensive weddings.  In fact, who would want to start a marriage deep in debt because of a lavish, one-day party?

There are lots of ways to curb wedding expenses.  I made my own veil for $16, as well as the dresses for my two flower girls.  We chose arm bouquets which were far less expensive than the dense round ones that used to be popular.  We asked our groomsmen (my husband’s three brothers) to provide their own black suits.  We had a friend do the music.  We chose free venues for the wedding and the reception.  My mom organized the buffet.

I’m glad we chose to have a simple, affordable wedding.  I won’t pretend it was the most elegant wedding ever, but it was right for us.  We wanted to focus more on the devotion than the decorations, the promises rather than the presents, the commitments instead of the cake.

Maybe in a few years, when we’ve proven that we deserve it, we’ll have a more elaborate party – one that we can invite our children and grandchildren to.  Now that sounds like fun!  Let’s see…what colours should I choose?