Marriage doesn’t cost$30,000. A wedding can cost $30,000. Getting married can involve a couple hundred honorarium for the clergy, and that is about it. I think big wedding hoopla is important, to reinforce the importance of the institution, build family ties, etc. But if it is not financially feasible, get married anyway!
My daughter was married in the middle of the pandemic. It was very small—about 20 people.
It cost us about $4k including venue and dinner.
Best wedding I had been to in decades.