Given half of marriages eventually end in a divorce and wedding ceremonies last for at most 12 hours in America, it’s wise to spend as little as possible just in case things don’t work out.
Despite such pure logic, the average cost in America is around $33,000 according to The Knot’s 2020 Wedding Survey. If you live in Manhattan, the average spend is closer to $77,000. In comparison, San Francisco weddings only cost $39,329.
With the median household income in America at around $60,000 according to the US Census Bureau, what is going on with couples who are willing to spend roughly 70% of their annual after-tax income on such ephemeral pleasure?
Here are some random responses I’ve received from couples who have spent $33,000 or more on their weddings:
“I wanted a night we’d never forget.”
“The wedding is more for our family than it is for us. We both have huge extended families that must all be invited.”
“Everything from the venue to the flowers cost so much nowadays. It’s hard to spend less.”
“I already spent $18,000 on a ring. What’s another $50,000 spread among 200 people?”
“I didn’t want to spend $200,000 on the wedding, my wife did. I hate weddings and would rather have just gone to City Hall for a couple hundred bucks. It’s all curated and fake for thirsty Instagram users.”
The following is a post by Sydney, aka Mrs. Samurai. She’s one of the most frugal people I know, which is one of the reasons why we get along so great. She’d rather go to Target than Prada. That’s the secret to financial independence right there. Whoo hoo!
Leaving my job in the spring of 2012 was not an easy decision. Even if you have all your ducks in order, it’s still a leap of faith where you hope fluffy pillows await instead of jagged rocks. One of the main reasons why I wrote my book, “
