ok, so unless you have been hiding under a rock, you know the talk is all about the economy and how bad things are. True, many people have lost hundreds (or thousands) of dollars in the stock market. So consider this. The stock market is a place (or institution) where you put your money hoping to profit from the companies you invest in when they make money. Most people have never spoken to any one who mangages or runs the business they invest in. They just park the money there because they think the comapny has a great idea or because of past history.
So historically, this is a good system. The stock market has returned at least 6 to 8 percent each year even factoring in the bad years such as the one we are seeing now. SO, people continue to invest.
No one in would even consider investing in a company if they KNEW that 50 percent of the companies would fail. Even if the return could possibly be huge, people just dont take a 50/50 chance with their hard erned cash.
So here's the part I want you think about.
On average, US couples spend $20,398 for their wedding. However, the majority of couples spend between $15,299 and $25,498 while their wedding budget is typically 50% less than the amount spent. This does not include cost for a honeymoon or engagement ring.
Why do we spend so much money on a wedding, when we KNOW that more that half of all marriges end in divorce? I am not being a doomsdayer or am I saying that we should'nt have a great time celebrating the union of two people who are in love. Don't worry. We are planning to have it all! I am just putting this out here for discussion.
Think about it..! and comment if you wish
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The high cost of pre-marital counseling is something the prospective couple needs to figure in to the wedding budget. Hmmm. :)
ReplyDeleteSince investments (ideally) grow over time, I think the marriage is the investment. Once the wedding is over, it's over, and the money is spent. While marriage does have its ups and downs, the best ones will continue to grow and become richer every day and with every passing year. Few people expect their marriages to fail, just like few people think they will lose their money instead of making more. That's the whole point of investing. They want to succeed, they just place their trust and faith in the wrong person or wrong place sometimes. SO, all this to answer your question, no, I don't think the wedding is an investment. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot to say you're doing a great job on this!
ReplyDeleteTrent, you bring very good "food for thought" to the table. Josh and I paid for the entirety of our wedding and spent $4000 on the wedding (including dress, tux, flowers, decorations, cakes, and snacks for reception), just less than $1000 on rings, and free premarital counseling (we did a lot of it through folks here at ETBU). I would LOVED to have had a larger budget to spend but I wouldn't have changed our wedding for the world!
ReplyDeleteI think the reason a lot of folks spend so much on their (or their kids')wedding is b/c of the bride. It's her day to have whatever she wants. Typically most women spend years thinking about what they want their wedding to look like.
I think that most don't worry about how large the bill is b/c it will just be a 1-time expense. I think that most people truly believe that their marriage will be different--it will last. But when the time comes and one feels like one doesn't even know who one's spouse is anymore, one might try for a little while then just give up b/c it's not working out how they planned.
Marriage is work! I think as prepared as one thinks (s)he is, one never really is ready, for the good times but especially for the bad. (I hear you can relate it a lot to having kids that way.) Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I think this is an investment in the MARRIAGE.... your daughter's marriage and YOUR own marriage........ you will be much happier in your own marriage the more you 'invest' in your daughter's marriage. Plus, this is a one time deal for all!!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Your WIFE