"it's not where I come from. maybe in new york, or whatever big american city this plays in.
it depends on the society I guess. and the person."
I think the movie was trying to play up the high end New York type of wedding. I am sure people in small towns have weddings the complete price of the New York bride's bouquet alone!!! Or maybe less.
Most of the people I know don't care that much about weddings. They either go to the city hall, elope or else have a small ceremony in a park or the beach (it's easy since I live on the coast). One person had simple Mexican food catered. One had a dinner at the Zoo and that was very cool. One got married in a zen garden.
This is the norm. I know no one who has more than about a few grand tops to spend on a wedding and even so, they would probably save the money to go on a good honeymoon instead of planning each detail. If someone I knew was going to spend more than 2-3K on their wedding, I would sit them down and tell them they should save their money. I wouldn't say it is because most people get divorced, but they do. If it was their only wedding, that would be different. But people treat marriage like trendy clothes, to be discarded once it isn't cool anymore.
But really, 5K on a dress? Maybe if your parents are rolling in dough, but to most people a $100 dress is fine and yes, I would like the girl in the movie, wear my mom's dress, so I wouldn't spend any money.
TLC has a budget to fund those weddings, most people who aren't on reality TV can't fund them. I think people on TLC have a lot more money than I will ever have since I am not an heiress or anything! :)
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kao123
14 years ago
There is also the eloping with family like to the bahamas. I did it and it was so much easier. yes, my dress was only 100 dollars too. The movie is showing the high end, I want to be a princess type of wedding. Lots of people even in NY can be more low key, classy, less flashy and less expensive. It just takes soem work.
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lynsey_poushay
14 years ago
I think making any general statement about a wedding is a little hard.
I, for example, come from an area where having a cash bar is the norm. No one bats an eye at the thought of doing it and it is most certainly NOT considered tacky. If you want to drink go right ahead (and people certainly do!) but it is not considered the bride and groom's job to pay for your bar tab at the end of the night. I have learned as I've grown older that a cash bar in other places is considered the height of tackiness (which I will never quite understand, a glass of wine or 2 with diner I get but not an open bar). I have known people who have gotten married in upscale hotels, scenic resorts, back yards, and church halls.
The most recent wedding I attended was for a bride who wanted to go down south and get married on a beach but was told by her mother in no uncertain terms that there was no way her grandmother would be able to stand on a beach here or anywhere for a wedding so plan something else. Did she want a formal hotel wedding? No. But there was no question that being able to have her whole family there outweighed wanting a different wedding. My point is that sometimes we can't do exactly what we wanted; the wedding that satisfied her family cost significantly more than the one she wanted but there were huge benefits to it.
I personally still do not get the amount some people are willing to spend, especially for the dress ($5000 dress boggles my mind, let alone $18000). But then, my mother spent less than $250 collectively for 5 daughters' worth of prom dresses so I doubt i ever will get it(in an area were all girls wear ball gown style dresses and for a long time all girls wore white, one high school stills has a rule that girls must wear white).
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