From Newsweek: the average cost of a wedding is $28,400

[Bay Boy]

Who are these people spending that amount (and more) on weddings?

Three of my four kids have gotten married and I don't think that all 3 of them added up to that much.

[gollygee]

1. I've never understood why people spend that much on a wedding

Or spend so much energy, both physical and emotional, preparing for just one day.

[Botany]

5. because it is a multi billion dollar industry the dream of "m perfect day" is sold to women from ...

... almost 1st grade on and because estrogen is one wickedly powerful drug.

[loli phabay]

8. why not if you want to spend the money then you can

Every wedding i have ever been to probuably cost much more than this.

[Botany]

2. Rule #1 do not hire a wedding planner

n/t

[loli phabay]

7. hell no, the wedding planner was a godsend on the day, the bride was able to enjoy the day without

Any worries.

[dsc]

3. If it is a mean it is being skewed by some really expensive weddings

I would think the median would be considerably lower, especially if justice of the peace weddings are included.

[HiPointDem]

18. +1. i think something like half of all weddngs are 2nd, 3rd, etc. doubt they usually go for the

big show.

[Posteritatis]

25. Yeah, I'm definitely assuming they're talking mean there. (nt)

[NMDemDist2]

4. you could buy a small house in some areas for that

or least put a hella down on one.

[enough]

6. Or a decent car. (nt)

[trackfan]

9. Wow. If you factor in the $70 that mine cost, somebody must really be spending a lot

to bring the average up to $28,400.

[RedCappedBandit]

10. That's more than my damn salary.

[Blasphemer]

11. Some people bank on being able to recoup the costs in gifts and money

So if you have generous friends and family members, they're paying for the wedding.

[HiPointDem]

19. hard to recoup $28K in gifts; that's 280 people at $100/gift.

[SoCalDem]

12. Our wedding probably cost less than $250.00

We piggybacked our wedding for Sunday after services (free flowers already there)

I bought my dress on sale for $75.00 (for a wedding I canceled the year before..but hey, it was a nice dress so why buy a new one?)

Bridesmaids made their own dresses

Men wore suits (not tuxes)

Reception was sheet cake & coffee in the vestibule

We just had our 43rd anniversary ..money well spent

[NaturalHigh]

14. 43 years? Congratulations.

We're coming up on #11.

[SoCalDem]

16. Newbies !

That said, 11 is an accomplishment in our throwaway society

[NaturalHigh]

13. I'm pretty sure mine cost less than $1000.

Maybe twice that for the honeymoon.

[cali]

15. My father offered to pay his 3 daughters the cost of a wedding not to have a wedding

wedding.

[malaise]

17. It's only true if you buy into their BS n/t

[HiPointDem]

20. "Department of Made-Up Numbers from Dubious Sources"

[malaise]

21. or decide that only their version of a wedding is a wedding

I know a couple who were busy saving for a big bash despite knowing that the groom's mother was terminally ill. Eventually they got married by her bedside in the hospital just before the minister read the last rites to her. They were dating for eight years and engaged for two, but they had to have a TV beach wedding with all the trimmings. Reality intervened.

[cherokeeprogressive]

22. I think my marriage to my current wife cost $83.

It was funny. We went to the window at the county office... filled out the paperwork, paid for the license, and then were directed to the chapel off to the side through a door. The guy who helped us at the window met us in the chapel in a black robe.

[Raine]

23. Sometimes I watch "Four Weddings" on TLC just for the novelty and

I have seen some that spend $50,000 to over a $100,000 These are not people that are of the 1% these are people who are on a reality show trying to win a honeymoon!

[Ron Obvious]

24. Let's see...

It was $25 for the license, another $25 for the justice of the peace (although I think I forgot to pay him), the pizza for wife, self and best man was around $15, it probably cost about $5 in gas to drive far enough to the next town so it wouldn't get in the papers back home, and finally the movie tickets were probably about $3 each back then.

That was more than 27 years ago. None of our friends who had expensive weddings are still together like we are.

[gopiscrap]

26. Holy cow

I'll give my daughter a thousand to elope!

[Not Me]

27. I was married in 2011, and we spent <10K

110 guests, served filet mignon dinner, 6 hour open bar, best dj in New York. Reception went from 6:30pm until 2am.
The banquet facility handled a lot of the little details for us; given their attention to detail I did not see the need for a wedding planner.

[Bay Boy]

31. Why wasn't I invited?

I like filet mignon and open bars!

[Shankapotomus]

28. Unfortunately, all the weddings

I've been to have been expensive affairs such as described in the OP. So there is a bit of truth to it. I find such weddings self-indulgent and insensitive to their guests in their expectations of them. I have sworn not to get pulled into another one.

I applaud and support the modest weddings various DUers described having in this thread. Humble is always beautiful.

[Renew Deal]

29. The average on Long Island is higher

NYC too

[dhol82]

30. Got married in 1979

Lived in NYC. Husband to be had a deathly fear of needles. NY at that time required a blood test.

Off we went to Las Vegas - which required, basically, nothing.

Don't even remember how much the license cost. We decided to forgo the Elvis chapel and just did a Justice of the Peace at the city hall. I wore a shift dress that I had gotten at a department store. It was quite fetching.

Remember having a panic attack after the ceremony. Needed to be walked around the looooong block to get my hyperventilation under control with me repeating 'what have I done, what have I done!'

We got together in 1970. Husband died in 2010. It was an amazing 40 (almost 41) years. One hell of a ride. Never needed all the bells and whistles.