The average wedding in America costs $20,000. What really scares me about this is that I know there are people like us with much smaller budgets, so there have to be people on the other end of the spectrum spending much more in order to balance out that average.
(Check out this infographic for more statistics)
You may have realized this by now, but an extravagant wedding just isn't for me. Even if I had $20,000 to spend, I can't imagine spending it all on one day. Rebecca Adams, director of the Family and Child Program at Ball State University, says, "People may spend $20,000 to $30,000 planning a wedding, but they will bark or resist premarital counseling or something that might make their marriage last." (Source)
Why?
What's the point of investing all of this money towards the ceremony and reception when you don't invest any time towards creating a strong foundation for your marriage? Nathan and I will have at least 5 sessions of premarital counseling before our wedding. I'm not saying that any couple that doesn't go through premarital counseling is doomed to divorce, but I can't imagine going into a marriage without at least having some serious discussions with each other about every aspect of your future together.
No matter her the budget is, I think any bride can get caught up in the planning process and forget the true purpose of the wedding, so I've really tried my best not to do that. Sometimes I feel like wedding planning is my only hobby these days. I enjoy it, but I enjoy spending time with Nathan even more. I try my best to focus the majority of my time on building a stronger relationship with him and becoming a good wife.
Our guests probably won't think that our wedding is the fanciest that they've ever attended, but hopefully they'll appreciate all the work that we've put into it. And more than anything, I want them to see that we're committed to each other and to putting in the work it takes to have a healthy marriage.
The fancy dress, the decorations, the food - as much as I'm looking forward to it, all I want is to be able to spend every day with the man I love. (And his dog too.)
I don't know if you're checking comments on old posts, but I have a question: In that photo of Nathan walking Nenya, is there really a pink line on the road or is that just a trick of photography? And if there is a pink line why?
ReplyDelete[Nathan, have you finally discovered the Pink Road?]
It is in fact a pink line. We were walking on the Monon Trail, a walking and biking trail, not an actual road. I couldn't tell you why it's pink though.
ReplyDelete