Once upon a time there was a girl, a wild and crazy girl that never planned to settle down. Then she met a boy who turned her world upside down, nothing would ever be the same.
A year later she was engaged, 5 years after that, she was ready to start planning the wedding. It’s crazy how life surprises you sometimes.
Okay, so I was that girl and I didn’t know how in the world to plan a wedding…the only wedding I ever went to was in pigtails as the flower girl. Thank goodness for the internet, I searched, ordered catalogs for this and that, read about etiquette and drooled over gorgeous wedding dresses.
Finally I found the perfect place for the wedding and reception, I knew exactly what wedding dress I wanted and all the little details fell into place. I had a budget of $10,000, which was a wedding gift from my parents and I was certain that everything would be covered.
Ready to reserve the date for the gorgeous chapel, my mom handed me an envelope full of $100 bills (100 of them) in the parking lot before going inside. She told me to take it out and see how $10,000 feels in my hands. Once I did, I was floored—it was amazing holding that much money. Then she asked, “now do you really want to give all this money away?”
Crap! Now I wasn’t so sure. Maybe I could find a way to do the wedding for less, maybe there was somewhere even better that wouldn’t be so expensive. After ten minutes of holding all that money, I told her we should leave.
Spending $10,000 on one day that would pass by so quickly seemed silly now. Sure people spend way more than that all the time, but for us $10,000 was a ton of money. So I put it in the bank and tried to find another way to have the perfect wedding for us, but for much less.
And I did, but that’s another post for another day.
Have you ever changed your mind about something after holding the cash in your hands?
I always feel like it hurts more when you physically see the money. Swiping your card is not the same. Good job on keeping the wedding costs low, how wise of your mum to do that and make you realize that as long as your dear ones are around you can have the same amount of fun with less.
Pauline recently posted..Friday recap, one less loan and an easy tweet!
Our wedding turned out 100 times better than it would have. Usually my mom is awful with money, so that really surprised me.
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$10k is a lot for a wedding in my opinion, but it’s worth it if the experience is something you’ll cherish for the rest of your life without regrets. I’d do the same as you, though. I’ll have to do this before making the next big purchase.
femmefrugality recently posted..All the Money in the World
It’s definitely worth a shot.
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I can’t remember doing anything like this but then I always saw big white weddings as a bit of a waste of money, really. So well done for changing tour plans. Me? I got married in a lovely suit (sound severe but it had lace back ;)), we had a great lunch for our families and even someone sang opera (we didn’t have to pay for the singing or for him to stop doing it) and then had a big, wild party in the evening. The most expensive item I believe were my pearls.
maria@moneyprinciple recently posted..Received wisdom is problematic: sayings I dislike
Sounds like you had a great wedding.
Jen Perkins recently posted..Amazon’s New Feature: AutoRip (Free MP3s)
I can detach myself from the “value” of money pretty well. So I don’t think having the cash in my hand would deter me in a situation like that. I do think big fancy weddings are kind of a waste though (I hope my g/f doesn’t read this..)
The First Million is the Hardest recently posted..Do You Really Need A Financial Advisor?
It’s hard for me to imagine that people can spend so much money on 1 day…and I was almost one of them.
Jen Perkins recently posted..Net Worth Update~ January 2013
Cash has a lot of power over people. It is tangible and you can watch it leave your hand. This is why I preach to people with spending problems to go with a complete cash system. It usually works.
Grayson @ Debt Roundup recently posted..The My Money Resolution Challenge
I don’t think I could ever exclusively use cash, especially at the gas pumps.
Jen Perkins recently posted..Why Didn’t I Get A PrePaid Cell Phone Sooner?
Smart advice! I think too many people get in their wedding bubble and don’t put the amount of their budget into a practical context!
Alex recently posted..APE the Book (review)
I agree. It’s a nice little bubble though.
Jen Perkins recently posted..Saving Money: Daily Transfers Update
I can’t think of anything specific where I have done this. I get this horrible feeling that the cash is burning a hole in my pocket. I am actually worse with spending when it comes to cash.
Jules@Fat Guy,Skinny Wallet recently posted..Round Up For The Week Of 1/13/13: Frugal Ideas For 2013
My husband is too. Whenever he has cash, it usually goes to energy drinks, gummy bears and buying lunches out (instead of packing them like usual).
Jen Perkins recently posted..Amazon’s New Feature: AutoRip (Free MP3s)