My wedding cost $0 , we basically eloped

[UndertheOcean]

Would never waste money on a lavish wedding ...

would rather waste the money on a lavish honeymoon ! that is the smart thing to do !

[Chan790]

1. I'd much rather do the opposite...

spend to the heavens on the wedding and party and spend the vacation at home in my pool. My ideal honeymoon is @ Casa del Chan790. Of course, I'll also probably get married on the rear-lawn of my family's estate...it overlooks the Farmington valley in central CT from an elevation of 1,900 ft. and I don't think my mom would charge me for that so...even more money for the party!!!

I'm going to have ice flown in from Antarctica and a famous vegan chef (I haven't decided which) do the catering. Also, open super-premium bar. I love a great party. Vacations are kind of like hell for me...I loathe travel.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

4. !

:o

:rofl:

[seabeyond]

2. seashell rings, $6, license $100, button down shirt for hubby $40, lunch and champagne $60

we were on a week vacation in florida and went to justice of peace. had honeymoon first.

i agree

[gratuitous]

3. You didn't buy a license?

:shrug:

[grace0418]

5. I agree completely. Our wedding was dirt cheap as far as weddings go but in retrospect it

would've paid for a fantastic vacation to just about anywhere. I love to travel and I hate being the center of attention, so eloping would've been the best choice for me. Congratulations!

[Monique1]

6. Do what makes you happy

[grace0418]

7. Exactly. I wish I had listened to that advice when I was getting married.

I tell brides that all the time and I'm amazed to see how many of them completely ignore that.

I have a friend who's a hair stylist and she says she can't count the number of brides (and grooms) who tell her they wished they'd eloped instead of signing up for this big circus. It's so much money for one day, a day that the bride and groom often barely remember in the whirl of activity.

[TZ]

8. Yep.

My mom spent some money on her second marriage a while back for a nice afternoon in a mansion on a mountain with music and a good meal. EVERYONE had a blast--The reason why so many weddings are so expensive is that its often a big celebration for not only bride and groom but family and friends. Whats wrong with throwing a nice party for everyone? :shrug:

[Gormy Cuss]

11. I disagree. The reason so many weddings are expensive is because people buy into the idea

of a "perfect wedding" rather than an enjoyable celebration. It's not JUST the bride's day. The wedding ceremony is where the focus is on the bride and groom, but the party after? That's for family and friends. What I've noticed is the best wedding receptions are those where the couple paid attention to the details for their guests, no matter how much or how little it costs them. A backyard event with barbecue can be just as nice a party as the catered reception at a mansion.

I cringe when I hear people talking about taking out loans to pay for a wedding though. I don't get that thinking at all.

[TZ]

12. I've been to a lot of weddings Gormy...

and 90% of them have been big parties mostly...the money was spent for bands/djays and food/venue mostly it seemed (the reception). I guess its all in who you know. Only one wedding I went to (that was most likely super expensive) did it seem like it was spent to impress, not to have a good time. I guess I've got smart friends. Maybe thats why I enjoy weddings so much, cause most of the ones I've been to, have been aimed at a good time for all....
However I think the overspending for looks and to impress is actually much more common with Bar Mitzvah's..I've heard stories of them running 100,000+......

[Gormy Cuss]

13. Bar mitzvahs... oy.

That's another time when some seem more interested in spending money than creating a nice party.

I tend to go to smaller $$ weddings because of who I know, LOL, but I've been to a couple where it was clear that the focus was on making a statement rather than throwing a good party. As I wrote before, it's really not about how much money was spent, it's about paying attention to your guests. You can have a great party on very little money and a crappy event where scads of money was spent.

[sinkingfeeling]

9. You didn't pay for a license and you stiffed the official?

[Deep13]

10. About $5K for Sweetie and me. Most was catering.

No church, no hall, inexpensive rings, our own mix tape. We had it at my late father's tree farm.

[Fleshdancer]

14. I wanted to run off to Vegas and elope....

but oddly enough, it was my husband who wanted the wedding. He still owes me a trip to Vegas which will include plastic flowers, at least one of us in a mini skirt, and fat Elvis. ;)