Therefore I was delighted when Peter and I received this wedding invitation. The bride is Maori and the groom is a Pacific Islander. Both these cultures, like many, place great emphasis on hosting a good event with lots and lots of food. But this one is going to be different.
The wedding is going to be in a park in Surfers Paradise, outdoors, so I hope the weather is nice. The attire is specified......Island attire/smart casual. Now, that's sensible on a hot day.
The reception is being held at a hall close by, and the times are given. BYO alcohol, if you want. And then they ask, if possible for us to bring one plate of food to share and specify what they would like. It will cost us the amount of maybe $10.00.
Then they state that they don't want wedding gifts, our presence at the wedding will be enough, but if we honour them with a small gift some linen or a monetary gift would be very much appreciated. This takes all the hassle out of what to get them.
Some people might think this is a bit of a cheapskate way to have a wedding, but as a mother who has paid for several children's weddings, some cheaper and some expensive, I can tell you, the memories from a well planned day, either cheap or expensive are much the same. The only difference is that there are no businesses out there pocketing a lot of my money.
The wedding invitation was made by them, and very pretty, and hand delivered.
I thought I would google the average cost of a wedding. They say around $25,000, but people generally go over the amount they have budgeted for. This looks to be an American type wedding. The internet says wedding planners charge between 10% and 20% of the total cost of the wedding, so there goes a few more $$$$.
http://www.costofwedding.com/
The following items are included in the total average wedding cost:
- Attire & Accessories
- Beauty & Spa
- Entertainment
- Flowers & Decorations
- Jewelry
- Photography & Video
- Planner/Consultant
- Venue, Catering & Rentals
- Ceremony Accessories
- Ceremony Location
- Ceremony Officiator
- Hotel Room for After Reception
- Limo Rental
- Other Transportation
- Reception Accessories
- Reception Bar Service
- Reception Food Service
- Reception Location
- Reception Rentals
- Rehearsal Dinner
- Wedding Cake/dessert
- Obviously the bride and groom are going to have their own costs, but I don't think it will total nearly the $25,000 stated here.
Considering it is the act of exchanging vows, and having family present that makes this such a special day, I think this will be a lovely occasion. The exorbitant 'keeping up with the Jones's' and the Browns and the Smiths and everyone else, has taken weddings to a whole new level, where everyone tries to outshine the others. I'm really looking forward to this modest 'garden' wedding.
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