Posted on 06/15/2006 11:59:09 AM PDT by JZelle
The cost of weddings in the United States has soared to a point some of today's younger generation may be turning away from the ritual. Courtney Martin, whose article on marriages appears in the Christian Science Monitor, seems to be one. She says a typical wedding in 1990 cost $15,208, compared to $4,376 in 1980. Martin, who has no immediate plan to wed her friend of seven years, says that wedding today will set a couple back $22,360, or enough for private college tuition for their future child if that sum is invested at 10 percent return. "Truth be told, we (she and her boyfriend) avoid the topic of walking down the aisle because it is so inextricably tied up with gross, conspicuous consumption," she writes. "We have watched friends get sucked into the tidal wave that is the emotionally manipulative wedding industry -- now totaling $50 billion in sales a year." Saying the marriage ritual has turned into "a circus of decadence," Martin says, "Not only is the egregious spending offensive in a world where too many have too little, but the meaning of the ritual is all but lost amid the designer dresses and lobster dinners."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
LOL! What a hoot!
If you think wedding costs are high, check the cost of divorce!............
Yeah but the divorce is worth it.
Cheesy? I told our girl I think we should all go to Vegas and wear Groucho noses...now that's cheesy. ;o)
Plenty of fools are. Two weeks after my $500 total balance wedding, my maid of honor spent $4000 for her gown alone. She had to admit later that mine was much nicer, lol. The next door neighbors' son had his wedding in Hawaii, so his parents flew out all the guests and put them up in a posh hotel for 5 days.
It wasn't a Hearse, just a regular stretch limo. But yes, that was the running joke...that we were gonna ride from the church to the reception in a Hearse, and they only needed to make one delivery on the way!
It is truly a day we will never forget. It was a second marriage for both of us and we weren't interested in an overpriced dog and pony show again so we went for pure cheesiness. My dress was lime green sequins. We just celebrated our eighth anniversary and couldn't be happier.
My little bride and I had 5-6 friends down to city hall, a nice lunch, a limo ride and dinner; we were just reveling in that wonderful day 8 years ago Monday.
Congrats. My husband and I celebrated number 8 on Monday as well.
I like everything about that except that the guests were deprived of the opportunity to provide any gifts other than cash or checks.
OTOH, the advantage is one size fits all and green is a well-loved color.
Aw, how sweet. Do y'all still keep in touch? ;)
Some people hold weddings at a resort, expect their guests to pay their own costs, and get offended if some of the people they invite can't/won't shell out that kind of money. Tacky!
"My little bride and I"
Is she a midget? :)
I saw that article this weekend. Just when you think people can't get any less "couth"....
Rifle...........Every Marine a rifleman..........
What was the witness in jail for, do you know?
Some people contend that Elvis is still alive and living in Vegas. It's the only place he could walk around and no one would pay him any attention, because there are so many Elvises in Vegas............
under 5' and thin, not a midget though; hope I did not offend, it was meant to be more of a term of endearment.
That's just hilarious, when you think about it. And especially is someone told him he wasn't a very good Elvis!
Not offended, just wondered! :)
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