It’s about more than the cake
I’ve always enjoyed going to other people’s weddings. It’s always interesting to see how different people take their vows, in a church, on the lawn, at court, and even online. I especially enjoy the receptions, dressing up and mingling with friends, meeting new people, eating great food, dancing to silly songs and eating cake…lots of cake! The cake is always my favorite part.
I have never thought it important to take into consideration how expensive or cheap the wedding was, how many guests attended, or how many bridal showers took place…Weddings are meant to celebrate the civil union between two people. It’s all about those two special people. Nothing more and nothing less. Plain and simple.
After attending this past weekend’s Southern Bridal Show & Expo i’ve begun paying closer attention to the recent wedding engagements taking place among friends around me and remembering weddings that I have attended or been a part of in the past.
On Sunday we visited hundreds of NC vendors who bombarded us with an overwhelming array of choices for food, desserts, cakes, decorations, photographers, entertainment, transportation, wedding attire, and even “talking roses…,”
After careful thought and reflection, I’ve come to one conclusion. When it comes to weddings, I think it’s safe to say that most of the population has diluted the definition of this sacred tradition. When it comes to weddings, most of the population may have gone mad.
An engaged friend recently reminded me that the average cost of a wedding is currently around $20k, down from a higher level of $28k before the recession got underway.
I don’t even think that spending is at $20k–more than the annual income of a family of four living at poverty level in the United States…
I’ve heard friends argue that a man ought to spend two months’ salary on his future wife’s wedding ring, that the proposal means more than the wedding, there should be a save the date, invitation and wedding website available to guests before the “big show,” a wedding planner is a necessity, a bride should have a bridal shower for every room in her home, and that the average cost of a wedding cake should be around one thousand dollars!
I’m unsure how we got to this point. How has this business been able change a designed to unite two people in a sacred or secular rite, into a complicated ritual that resembles a massive theatrical production?
I’m not saying you have to run down to the court house and call it a day. I love the thought of the tradition and the celebration. I’m just saying that the wedding is all about that lifelong union.
The pressure to have a perfect wedding is outrageous. It’s about not losing sight of “why” of the wedding is taking place in the first place.
If you can’t answer that question first there’s no reason to move forward with the wedding cake…
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I always kinda assume the bigger the wedding, the less chance it will last, which is wrong. I’m sure there have been some very lavish weddings that made lasting marriages. There’s lots of ways to share the day and have a great time without spending money and I know if anyone could, you could have a wonderfully ornate and incredibly classy wedding for not a lot of money! For my first wedding, mixing bowls I bought at the Dollar Tree were used as centerpieces.