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May 19, 2004 The woman I married four years ago is really not that unusual. She enjoys good food, good football, a good joke, and a good game of Spider Solitaire on the computer. But she is unusual in one regard. Her vision of the perfect wedding involved the two of us in our jeans and sneakers, in front of the friendly justice of the peace. Why is this so unusual? So many people spend incredible amounts of time and money planning that perfect wedding. Women, in particular, seem to get wrapped up in those visions of storybook nuptials, where everything and everyone involved is positioned to the finest detail. But the price for such a lovely celebration is not cheap. When you, or your parents, plunk down big bucks for a wedding, that money is feeding and entertaining a lot of people who will be nowhere in sight when you need a babysitter, a jump start, or a shoulder to cry on. Worse yet is what happens if the marriage doesn’t last, especially if all those wedding trappings haven’t been paid for yet. It doesn’t take big money to have a wedding. As it turns out, we spent a little more than $1,000, from the ceremony itself to the honeymoon. And here’s how we did it: 1) We went to the justice of the peace. It cost us $40 for the marriage license and another $10 for his services. We got to wear jeans and sneakers that we already owned. And one of our friends operated our camcorder during the ceremony, so we didn’t have that expense. 2) We rented a large shelter at one of the local public parks to hold the reception, a month after the ceremony, for about $250. Not only did our guests have plenty of room to spread out and enjoy a good meal, they also had full run of all the park’s many free amenities. 3) My mother-in-law is a wonderful cook and does a little catering on the side. She was able to feed over one hundred people at our reception for about $400, and there were plenty of leftovers to go around. And one of our best friends does deejay work at parties around town. He worked our reception as a gift to us. 4) Instead of taking one big trip as our honeymoon, and spending thousands of dollars, we ended up renting a car and taking several day trips to points of interest within the Carolinas. The car cost us $250 for a whole week, and we spent another $250 on food, gas, and souvenirs. Ours wasn’t a storybook wedding, but everyone who came to our reception had a blast, and everything was paid off before our two-month anniversary. Believe me, that woman I married is well worth every penny spent—and saved. ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham earns his pennies as a business systems analyst for a major financial institution. In his spare time, he enjoys hitting flea markets and discount stores in search of the best deals. Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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