SPLURGE OR SAVE? My Frugal Wedding

I just cannot imagine spending what would be a good down payment for a house for the trappings of a lavish formal wedding.

  The Knot's wedding survey gives some astounding facts.
Total 1975 cost: $2,095
What it should cost in 2017 dollars: $10,068
What it actually costs in 2017: $47,286
Increase: 370%

"According to the survey, 28 percent of couples are budgeting between $10,000 and $20,000 for their big day—making that budgetary range the most common for a wedding in 2022. 

There’s a saying – “The bigger the diamond, the shorter the marriage.” I would even go so far as to say – “The more expensive the wedding, the shorter the marriage.” But hoping for the best. 
Weddings are a big business today while back in 1975 family and friends provided for all the trappings as a sideline or a hobby.  You see, I don't think we spent over $1000.

We were fortunate to have many of our family and friends with musical talent, so they were able to provide musical accompaniment for our ceremony.

As staff members of a recording company, we had that service provided too.
Family and friends offered their help and services that aligned with  our frugal budget and our lean savings.

  We went minimal with the flowers.  Instead of spending lots of money on flowers that would die shortly, we kept it simple but elegant.
 Each bridesmaid cradled a long stemmed, yellow rose bud with baby's breath. 
 They say if you see a white colored daisy, it means that you are going to be blessed with peace in life. The daisy’s message is, ultimately, one of hope and renewal and Baby's Breath is the symbol of everlasting love, pureness, and innocence. 

A family friend provided the cake with daisies. 
Someone else brought those crazy, weird, pastel colored, green, white, and pink mints and nuts served from silver serving dishes with little spoons.
Our church at that time provided the venue, the reception hall, and the beverages.

 A small guest list cuts down on expenses. Food and drink costs so we opted for cake  and beverage only.
  We fell in love with the gorgeous stained glassed windows.
 The “church ladies” were a great help with church decoration and other helpful things on the day of the ceremony.
  December 31, 1975 was the eve of the Bicentennial Year,

I chose bicentennial attire for my bridesmaids blending the red checkered with a little bit of Christmas poinsettias (December birth flower, symbolize good cheer and success and are said to bring wishes of mirth and celebration.) that the flower girl carried in her basket as our wedding was December 13, 1975 but plans for the bicentennial were in full swing as well as plans for our wedding.

  The dresses and the shirts were all made by various talented family members who purchased their own fabric.  It was awesome how it all came together.

I wore a borrowed wedding dress and veil.  I could not conceive of the idea of having to pay so much for, store or move around a dress, I would never wear again.
One thing we did not skimp on was the photography.  We hired a professional for a pretty penny and I would not have had it any other way.  We got some awesome photos of the memories.
We did not plan an ostentatious honeymoon, although an over the top one might have been fun, we chose to stay closer to home.

Instead of planning a big expensive trip we focused on unwinding and savoring the moment.  We just wanted to enjoy each other instead of  an 18 hour flight across the world to where ever with maybe many multiple connections.
No, our thought on this was that if it was close enough, it would be more manageable to revisit in the future.
 ...and a year later, we pooled our savings and bought our little bungalow in North Hollywood.


 

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