[weddings]

Lately, it seems as if everyone & their moms have been getting engaged/married. Every other week there's a new engagement on facebook and of course, the bride has to start planning her "dream wedding." If you have pinterest; I'm sure you've seen all these females pinning to her new "wedding board" every 5 minutes. I've come the conclusion that once you're in your late 20's - early 30's that this is the norm. It also seems once you've arrived to your late 20's - early 30's that hearing or seeing about wedding plans is also unavoidable. TLC has all these bridal shows such as Four Weddings, Say Yes To The Dress, Bridezillas, etc. I'm not even engaged yet and I already know the type of dress, decor, and whether or not a buffet or sit down dinner will gather me the top points in order to win my "dream honeymoon vacation."

Luckily, for J and my parents: I've never been the traditional kind and wanted some sort of "dream wedding". I believe that it's such a waste of money to have some sort of big celebration for just ONE DAY. It's amazing how much prices get jacked up when you mention that it's a wedding. Why wouldn't you just say it's a party considering that's basically what it is. You spend all this money for venue, food, decorations, a big cake, DJ's, and entertainment for 100 or so guests which basically correlates into a party. The average wedding is $35,000. That's more than a teacher's salary! I've also said I would rather take that money and buy a bigger engagement ring, along with putting the money aside for a nice vacation. That way you're able to enjoy it more with your future spouse instead of being stressed out on your "wedding day" (and we've all seen how stressed out these brides tend to get!). A wedding is one day, a ring is something you'll be wearing forever!

If I have it my way (and I'm sure that won't take much convincing) I'll fly my closest friends & family to Vegas and spend around $8,000.00 for a nice wedding at the Bellagio. Now as cliche as it sounds, I've always told J that I would rather do that considering how the $8,000 includes EVERYTHING. A limo ride to and from the airport, 3 nights in a huge suit, ceremony, photographer, and even a reception after the ceremony. PLUS for anyone that isn't attending the wedding: the Bellagio will even webcast the ceremony LIVE. I think that's AMAZING due to the fact most venues will charge you $50 - $200 per person to be at the reception. The Bellagio isn't the only resort casino that has these sorts of wedding packages. In fact, most of the casinos in Vegas have some sort of wedding package since there's basically a chapel at every place.

While many young ladies have been planning their dream wedding since they were teenagers, that wasn't the case for me. But for everyone else out there that's engaged and stressed out over your one big day, just remember to take a breather and don't stress yourself out TOO MUCH. This is YOUR day, not anyone else's.

&& on that note: I'll leave you with this funny E-card: