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?