Congratulations to the royal couple! And I mean that. They have had a splendid wedding that was viewed by over 2 billion people worldwide. One third of this planet’s population. Of course now, this wedding is every little girl’s fantasy. And a fantasy it should be. Because as we all know, most fantasies don’t come true.
When I speak of fantasy, I’m not talking about the wonderful relationship that I hope this couple has found in each other. That is something that is real, and that most little girl’s, if they someday find the right man (or woman to be politically correct), deserve.
When I use the word fantasy, I mean the image in women’s (and some men, to be politically correct again) minds about what a wedding should be. Excessive, expensive, and unrealistic, yet realistic if one is willing to go in debt for a one day event. For the royal couple, this wedding was well within their means. But for the average couple, the new standard has just been set.
The wedding industry loved this event. It was a free commercial that will earn this industry another 40 billion dollars over the next year. I’d be willing to bet that despite the current recession, the wedding industry, because of this televised event alone, stands to massively increase their profits over the next two summers. And there is nothing wrong with that, they’re entitled to it. But I believe it’s the perception of what a wedding has to be, that is the problem.
I am the usual over-spender, and even I tried speaking sense to my future bride back in 1997 (or was it 98?..... 96?) . What seemed like the usual disagreement at the time (we couldn’t agree on anything), was in retrospect, a financial nightmare driven by a mind poisoned lifelong distorted image of reality. Brainwashed by the popular sense of what a wedding should be, we had the wedding that a person making 4 times our income couldn’t afford. We we’re conditioned to believe that we needed this type of wedding. After all, it was the standard. It was the type of wedding that all of her friends had. It was what all of her aunts, cousins and nieces had talked about when they described weddings. We had the little gifts, the right photography company (who still had half the people’s heads cut off in the photos), 2 flower girls, flowers (which die right after the wedding), 6 bridesmaids with accompanying groomsmen, horse and buggy, limousine, jewelry, clothing (to be worn for one day only, yet cost the same amount as a whole wardrobe), honeymoon suite, honeymoon vacation with another honeymoon suite, should I go on?
I married a budget minded, overly frugal woman (which was actually part of the cause of our divorce) who worked very hard to keep costs down and get the best wedding bang for her buck. This was a woman that hang dried her clothes to save money on the electric bill that would go up after having the drier running too long. $18,000 later, one of us in college, living on our measly $26K income, and paying off wedding related credit card bills 3 years later, my frugal wife had nothing to show for her dollars but the same loser boyfriend, a video, and a wedding album.
The bottom line is that we couldn’t afford it. Neither can most of the couples out there getting married. The culture of modern day society feeds into this idea, making women believe that they have to have the ultimate wedding. Since my wedding long ago there are reality shows, cooking shows regarding wedding cakes and pastries, seminars/bridal shows, wedding planners, bachelor/bachelorette party companies, etc. The bar has been raised several times and the expectations for weddings will continue to grow.
I tell you, the industry wasn’t always like this. Back in the day when women were traded and sold like cattle, or just kidnapped from another tribe, this industry didn’t stand a chance. I think I will start a business to help women save money on weddings. Fantasy Royal Wedding Camp! Just like sports fantasy camps that are all the rage, women can live the experience without having to put in all the hard work. And their bankbooks and husbands will thank them in the end.
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