
Anyone who has ever been to a wedding knows the fairytale narrative so many of us are obsessed with is far from the truth.
The breathtaking bride, the tear-jerking vows, the “wow” moments, the picture-perfect details... behind all these “perfect” moments are stories of stress, tears, bridezillas, and budgets that quickly spiral out of control.
Side note: How much should a wedding dress cost? Post continues below.
I’ve never been someone who fantasised about having a wedding.
To me, weddings have always seemed so needlessly over-the-top; the exorbitantly priced dress, the speeches, the throwing of the bouquet. It all feels showy, outdated, and, most of all, not like me.
I might be in danger of sounding like the wedding grinch, but weddings aren’t some sacred day where everything magically comes together – unless, of course, you have a kick-ass wedding planner and an enormous budget.
A big wedding can be enormously stressful, and I find myself questioning whether it will be worth the cash, the drama, and my sanity.
And there’s a good chance the cost of our wedding might put us into debt if we’re not careful.
The average cost of a wedding in Australia is $36,000.
To me, that doesn’t sound completely insane, but it also sounds like a lot of money to spend on one day.
Listen to Mamamia's wedding podcast, Hitched, where we discuss the all-important budget. Post continues below.
I think about what my fiancé and I could do with that money; we could pay off our home loan that much sooner. We could put it towards the future of our (as yet unborn) children.
We could spend it on any number of things that I see as being infinitely more worthwhile than a dress that will be worn for one day and then tucked in a cupboard for the rest of eternity.
So, the question I’ve been asking myself is this; am I willing to spend a small fortune and expend a huge amount of energy in planning to celebrate this day?
Or, should I spend only what I am willing to spend, give only the time I can, and adjust my expectations accordingly?
After I got engaged recently, one of the first questions was “when is the wedding?”, as if I was already teetering on the brink of writing my vows.
Yet I found myself wondering if a wedding was even worth it.