The Best Wedding Plan Ever

“Begin as you mean to go on,” the saying goes. That’s especially true about getting married. Right or wrong, a wedding is often seen as a statement on the couple being wed.

I’ve been to a lot of weddings — as a guest, as a best man, even as a courtesy-invited ex. Some have been disasters. Some have been beautiful.

I like how my wife and I got married best.

Many will disagree vehemently, but I’ve always been of the opinion that weddings are more about putting on a show than celebrating two people. All the focus is put into the guests —finding the perfect date, the perfect venue, seating charts, dinners, gift bags, music selection, place settings, and so forth.

The last people who should be saddled with those plans are the bride and groom. They should be focused on the commitment they’re about to make, not about whether Aunt Ida is going to be offended if we seat her near cousin Harold, or if the band’s playlist is too risqué.

And that doesn’t even touch the expense. The cost of the average U.S. wedding is $27, 764. That strikes me as insane. Especially for young couples, that’s a burden they don’t need. Add to that the studies that show a strong inverse correlation between how much is spent on the wedding and happy marriages. Couples who spend over $20K are twice as likely to get divorced, while couples who spend less than $1000 on the wedding have the lowest divorce rate.