There are a few TV programmes about weddings a the huge amount of money spent on them. $20-30K, $2000 on a dress, $100 a head for a dinner.

I'm uncomfortable with that. We only spent around 400 pounds on ours and to spend more seems such a waste. I hate being the centre of attention and having my photo taken so the whole big wedding idea would be just awful for me.

I know that others love the idea and I was talking to one of the women at work who is newly engaged. She says that they can't get married until they have saved up to pay for the wedding which she thinks will cost $20K. She says they have to have a big wedding or the family will be offended. So until then they live apart - they can't afford a mortgage either and are also saving for a deposit on a house.

Is it all worth it?

My first wedding ended up costing a bloody fortune.

I don't think it's worth it, and certainly not at the expense of a house or similar. Having said that, we did have a big expensive wedding but that was for my mother who was desperate to have her day as 'mother of the bride'.

I didn't care where and how we got married, and although certain bits of it were lovely, I certainly wouldn't have had anything similar had we been paying.

I was indifferent to the whole 'wedding' bit tbh, it was the marriage that was important to me and however that happened was fine with me, I just went along with the flow!

No it's not worth it, neccessary, nor advised IMHO, but then the Mrs and I were ambivalent about having any kind of do for our civil wedding. As it turned out we did it on a reasonable budget <$4k which my late father-in-law ended up paying most of. Anyone trying to save $20k for a wedding and a deposit for a house at the same time needs their collective heads examined!

That being said, I know a greek-lebanese couple who got married in Montreal a year or so ago in a huge multiday celebration that cost them $25k+ which they paid. The flip side was the wedding gifts - money rather than toasters and fondue sets - enabled them to both put the deposit on, and furnish their new place!

Marry in haste and repent at leisure?

Isn't there a saying that the success of the marriage is inversely proportional to the amount of money spent on it?

I got married in the States and I think it cost a fair bit but I spent the whole of the reception trying to stop my drunk chavy relatives and friends from fighting with the other guests. It was a nightmare.

I'd like to get married on the acreage I live at, wearing a nice dress and have an all night long party round the firepit with all the people i've come to love in Canada.

It wouldn't cost a great deal, we'd make all the food etc but I would have everything around me that I hold dear in Canada and in my life.

That would be a perfect wedding

Fled I was watching some of the programmes the other day (some of those brides need a 2 x 4 round the head ) so it got me doing the girly thing and looking at wedding dresses online - and I even found the one I want hahaha.

Needless to say in however many years it happens - there will be a good many of you that get invites

My reception was cited in my ex-wife's divorce petition.

Can you get camo wedding dresses then?

Or plaid ones?

yes you can (and no i'm not!) his family are proper redneck hunters so there may be an element of camo involved (waistcoats etc hahahaha) and there will definatley be shots (both fired and drunk)

And I don't care how cheesy it sounds - thats our way of life and we love it

Have I missed some announcement somewhere ?

So whens the date?

My wife was watching one of those progs earlier.

Unbelievable what the bride wanted. Her attitude to money was amazing. Nothing was good enough for her. Everything had to be upgraded...second wedding dress chosen (maybe even a third)...there was no hot tub on the hotel balcony so that wasn't good enough etc etc