Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

The lady and I are gettin' hitched May 27th (mock me as you wish). Today we spoke with our #1 choice reception location, and their quote for a catered event with open bar was....

$10,000

Needless to say, I crapped my pants.

On to plan B,
Adam

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

I have bad news for you. That is average at worst. Depending on the size of your wedding, that's pretty cheap. These dumb biatches don't understand that there is nothing less romantic than starting your married life $40K in debt.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

Because they have so much to do with showing your social status, whether anyone wants to admit it or not.

A justice of the peace will do it practically for free in comparison, and you'll still be just as married. But your wife won't get to show off. Like not getting a big fat ring, this is intolerable to many.

Personally, I'd rather put all that money into the downpayment for a house, if you don't already have one. Having your own home to live in and maybe raise children in, to me that's romantic.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

$10K is nothing. I know people who have spent many times that. I think the wedding business is the biggest scam in the universe.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

to deter men from making a huge mistake.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

You aren't paying for it-I assume-so what skin is it off your back?

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

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Personally, I'd rather put all that money into the downpayment for a house, if you don't already have one. Having your own home to live in and maybe raise children in, to me that's romantic.

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exactly. either a house or a sweet-ass honeymoon.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

Marry a girl named Sandeep so you can get a dowry.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

Move to NYC so you can spend $50,000 on your wedding.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

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Marry a girl named Sandeep so you can get a dowry.

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Sandeep is a guy's name.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

Open Bar???? my closest ten friends and I alone would drink about $500's worth and thats getting it from the liquor store not an actual bar. I guess you gotta make up for drunks like us who would never turn down a free drink even if it was rubbing alcohol and orange juice.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

Further details:

We're getting married in a park in one of the nicer neighborhoods of St. Louis. Total "ceremony space" rental cost: $100.

It's a Middle Eastern Jewish wedding (her family's Persian/Israeli), so no fancy white dress or tuxes. Total "dress" cost: $500.

My family, through some shrewd investment and my father's recent success in 7-stud, has some been saving to pay for our honeymoon. Total "sex-filled European romp" cost: $0.

Forgive me, given the above figures, if $10k seems like a huge figure. I'm also currently drunk as a lord.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

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Marry a girl named Sandeep so you can get a dowry.

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Sandeep is a Party representative's name.

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FYP

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

This is why people elope. You can tour Europe and stay in 4 star resorts for 3 weeks and still come out ahead.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

tell me about it.

My recently cancelled nuptials was going to cost over $15,000 - and that was just for the location, catering and bar. TRhen you add in the photographer, the damn wedding planner, flowers, honeymoon, etc., etc....

And since we cancelled everything, we had to eat $4000 worth of deposits. Fun fun.

Next time, I'm getting married by Elvis at a drive-thru.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

I'm going to stop complaining now.

Remember, I'm drunk,
Adam

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

10K is nothing. If you're crapping your pants at that amount, perhaps you shouldn't be getting married. My advice is one hand of Blackjack for 10k.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

Consider having the reception at a place that is not in the "wedding" business.

Places in the wedding business charge more because, let's face it, they don't get a lot of repeat customers, so they have to soak you while they can (I mean, even if you do get married again, you'll probably pick a different reception location). Also, there is a great deal of social pressure (especially felt by brides-to-be) to have an impressive ceremony and reception which caterers, photographers, etc. are all too happy to take advantage of.

If your reception is small enough, you might be able to find a restaurant that has a private room or will let you rent out the whole place. When you first talk to the restaurant, say "private party" not "wedding" (you can tell them it's a wedding reception after you talk $$$).

This can be much cheaper and then you can always go back to the restaurant for anniversary dinners (unless the dumb restaurant goes out of business before your first anniversary -- not like that ever happened to me or anything [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]).

If it's not too late, you could try to convince her to run off to Hawaii or somewhere else wonderful to be married in a private ceremony.

Don't call it "eloping" and emphasize how romantic and stress free it is -- and you won't be lying, it will be romantic and certainly less stressful than planning a wedding and reception for lots of friends and family.

Congratulations and best wishes.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

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10K is nothing. If you're crapping your pants at that amount, perhaps you shouldn't be getting married. My advice is one hand of Blackjack for 10k.

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I have to ask, legitimately and without a hint of sarcasm: why should a to-you-a-pittance bar tab prevent me from marrying a woman I love dearly?

If you wish to contribute to the thread, advise me on alternative venues or regale me with stories of your own wedding. If you're going to surreptitiously brag about spending $10k on a gamble, at least waste the bandwidth humorously.

Impatiently,
Adam

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

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Next time, I'm getting married by Elvis at a drive-thru.

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Every year I try to talk my wife in to renewing our vows with The King officiating. She has yet to acquiesce.

OP, eloping is a solid option. You will come out ahead and most likely her family will want to throw you a welcome back party which will basically be a wedding reception without the wedding and won't cost you a dime.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

Weddings are so expensive in order to prepare you for the cost of divorce. Good luck!

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

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to deter men from making a huge mistake.

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Brilliant.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

Does it mean that I'm disgustingly jaded when a $10,000 wedding sounds dirt cheap?

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

Every board needs a eugenicist.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

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Consider having the reception at a place that is not in the "wedding" business.

Places in the wedding business charge more because, let's face it, they don't get a lot of repeat customers, so they have to soak you while they can...

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We've been heartily exploring our options along this line, but unfortunately the food's become the big expense. We just can't seem to find a way to feed 200+ people other than a caterer.

If we could feed the entire guestlist in Grandma's backyard we'd be all over it at $9900 in the black and just as happy.

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Congratulations and best wishes.

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Thank you.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

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Next time, I'm getting married by Elvis at a drive-thru.

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Every year I try to talk my wife in to renewing our vows with The King officiating. She has yet to acquiesce.

OP, eloping is a solid option. You will come out ahead and most likely her family will want to throw you a welcome back party which will basically be a wedding reception without the wedding and won't cost you a dime.

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Literally LOL. Being married by The King at a Burgerking would be pretty righteous.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

"Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?! "

Because half the population thinks it's reasonable.

"It's the most important day of *our* lives"

lmao

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

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Consider having the reception at a place that is not in the "wedding" business.

Places in the wedding business charge more because, let's face it, they don't get a lot of repeat customers, so they have to soak you while they can...

[/ QUOTE ]

We've been heartily exploring our options along this line, but unfortunately the food's become the big expense. We just can't seem to find a way to feed 200+ people other than a caterer.

If we could feed the entire guestlist in Grandma's backyard, we'd be all over it at $9900 in the black and just as happy.

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Congratulations and best wishes.

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Thank you.

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Hold the wedding on a bridge and give everyone a fishing pole.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

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"It's the most important day of *our* lives"

lmao

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To be fair - and I say this to expedite legitimate advice on the subject - my fiancee's pretty laid-back and isn't laying any "white wedding" guilt on me. She's a cool fluckin' chick.

I may be drunk, but why am I listening to Cheap Trick?
Adam

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

My wife and I got married on a beach to begin our honeymoon. It was fantastic, and cost almost nothing. There are even mega resorts built partly around this service, though we chose to go to a small place in Belize for the diving.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

I hope you both enjoyed your, uh, diving.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

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10K is nothing. If you're crapping your pants at that amount, perhaps you shouldn't be getting married. My advice is one hand of Blackjack for 10k.

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I have to ask, legitimately and without a hint of sarcasm: why should a to-you-a-pittance bar tab prevent me from marrying a woman I love dearly?

If you wish to contribute to the thread, advise me on alternative venues or regale me with stories of your own wedding. If you're going to surreptitiously brag about spending $10k on a gamble, at least waste the bandwidth humorously.

Impatiently,
Adam

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what if u have 10 or 11 and dealer is showing a 6?

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

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...unfortunately the food's become the big expense. We just can't seem to find a way to feed 200+ people other than a caterer.


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I can't tell if you're only drunk or stupid as well. You are planning to provide a multi-course, fancy meal with unlimited booze for 200+ people--which comes out to less than $50 per head. Think about a time you went out for a fancy, multi-course restaurant meal for two with multiple rounds of drinks--and tell me that it came out to much less than $100.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

where did you get this deal? i'm assuming this is 10 people eating bologna sandwiches at a dive bar somewhere

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

Regular weddings are cheaper. There's a big markup for [censored] weddings as they're real popular right now.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

I spent <u>way</u> more than this when I married my wife. Like many things, the amount you spend (or someone spends) on your wedding depends on the amount of disposable income you have (or someone has). For the record, we paid for the wedding ourselves (but accepted a very generous gift from her father that accounted for about 20% of the total cost). We already owned our home, so we weren't blowing a down payment. Basically, it was an awesome party - you would've thought we spent twice what we did. I've had so much to drink at my friends' weddings over the years, I felt a moral obligation to have an open bar. I don't regret it a bit, and wish I had an occassion to do it again.

Congratulations on your impending nuptuals. Life is for living, so enjoy this as much as you can and try not to worry about how much money's being spent, or whether anyone else is having fun. And don't let it become open-mic night in Forest Park - you let drunk friends and relatives take the microphone, disaster will ensue.

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

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...unfortunately the food's become the big expense. We just can't seem to find a way to feed 200+ people other than a caterer.


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I can't tell if you're drunk or stupid as well.

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Unecessary.

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You are planning to provide a multi-course, fancy meal with unlimited booze for 200+ people--which comes out to less than $50 per head.

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Fair enough. Further information:
No full meal, just appetizers/snacks plus a semi-open bar (you want MacAllen 12-year, you pay - we'll cover the Jack shots).

Listen to Kenna,
Adam

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

Yup, they're expensive. It's ridiculous.

The only thing I like about the wedding industry is that I think they'll push to legalize gay marriage so they can make more money.

If you're interested, the wedding forums can be really, very funny. For a while I was caught up in them reading everyday about this woman who wanted her one eyed cat to take part in the wedding wearing wings. Yes, really.

But also, the forums are good for finding out how to do things cheaper, learning what's necessary and what's just "keeping up with the Jones," and getting cool ideas.
http://forums.craigslist.com/?forumID=15
http://forums.weddingsolutions.com/index.php?

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

Feliz,

Yes when done right, your wedding should be the greatest party of your life. How much this is worth varies.

Destination weddngs rock if you can do them. Pick an island and call the resorts, they will all do a phenomenal job.

J

Re: Why the [censored] are weddings so [censored] expensive?!
 

Hah my wedding on 5/19 is running over 30k, but the father in law is paying so hey its fine with me.