Wedding Bells And Whistles

Note: I originally posted this on the now defunct View from the cheap seats. Fortunately, it was still in my reader, so I am reposting it here.

Before I get going, I first one to thank Bill for the invite to join him in the cheap seats. It took me a while to finally post because I didn't want to give Bill's more conservative readers a culture shock right off the bat. I'll save that for later. Now on to the show...

There was an article in this morning's edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that discussed some of the issues that soon-to-be-married couples are facing due to the crappy economy. As I read the article, it only made me shake my head to wonder if this country will survive. Here is some of which I speak (emphasis mine):

Many of the couples at the wedding show were looking forward to their big day with a budget in mind.

"We've scaled back big time," said Christina Rome, a 29-year-old bride-to-be, as she and fiancé Aaron Williamson, 37, perused the booths of area businesses specializing in wedding gowns, cakes, flowers and honeymoons.

"Our companies didn't give bonuses this year," Rome said.

"And who wants to start off a marriage in debt?" added Williamson. The Wauwatosa couple said they plan to pay cash for their June wedding, now budgeted at $5,000 to $7,000, including butterflies shipped on dry ice to be released after the ceremony. The butterflies are a couple-hundred-dollar splurge Rome said she's not willing to sacrifice because they're part of the theme.

[...]

Couples on a budget aren't necessarily giving up on fairytale weddings.

"We have to have doves," said groom-to-be Eric Ortiz, 25, of Madison. "It's for peace and love. And I want to have a helicopter to fly around in, too."

Yes, he was serious, though his betrothed, Crystal Leas, 30, of Milwaukee isn't quite on board with the helicopter idea.

WTF? Butterflies because they're "part of the theme?" Doves? Helicopters? Do these people have a grasp on what life and marriage is all about?

It reminded me of a conversation I had with some friends a few weeks ago. One friend told me about her niece, who was married in 2007. She married some guy in Texas that works for a defense contractor (which his father owns) and they had a full blown wedding that ran in the tens of thousands of dollars. They got divorced in 2008.

Another friend told me about his brother's wedding, which had cost in the neighborhood of $20k. The marriage lasted about two and a half years.

On the other hand, my wife and I got married for under $3,000, most of which was the hall rental and the catering. We organized it on the fly, as that it was an emotional time for us. There was only 50 people, and we had the ceremony in the reception hall, with the reception dinner following the ceremony immediately. All of the flowers, except the bouquets, were plastic ones that we picked up on sale. The trellis we got married under was ten bucks. The party favors were made by one of my adopted moms. The other adopted mom took the video for us. The photographer was 20 disposable cameras we left on the tables (most of the pictures were good, but some full moons did get in there). The organist and band was my best man's sound system and a bunch of CDs. (Anyone want a CD with the Bridal March on it?)

My wife and I just celebrated our ninth anniversary in October, and are still going strong, despite facing many adversities.

The thing is: We knew what was important. It wasn't having a fairy tale wedding. It wasn't putting on airs or trying to impress people. The important thing was that we loved each other, and wanted to make a formal pledge to each other, and that we meant that pledge.

I think it is the same mentality demonstrated by the people in the article that has our nation and our economy in the dire straits that we find ourselves. It doesn't matter whether you drive an old Toyota or a BMW, as long as your car is safe and reliable, and you know how to drive it.

It doesn't matter if you live in a mobile home, an apartment or a McMansion. It is only a building. It is the people inside of it that makes it a home.

It is all just pretentiousness and doesn't mean a damn thing in the grand scope of life. It just makes one look greedy and selfish and a pompous ass.

Our values have gotten all screwed up, where they think money, or at least the pretense of having money, is the key to success. People have to stop caring about what the Joneses have and trying to keep up with them. In fact, the Joneses also need to get their heads screwed on right and realize what is important. And they need to do it pretty damn soon, before they take us all down the drain with them.