The Cost of a Dream
29 January 2005
I am from Small-Town, Iowa USA. During the last census the population of my hometown was around 1800 people. And as many of you know, when you are from a town that small, everyone knows everyone. I haven’t lived there for 12 years, but on occasion my mom still sends me news of home. It always starts with, “You remember so and so…” Sometimes I don’t, but most of the time I do.
Anyway, mom sent me an email yesterday in that vein. It concerned a guy that I (sort of) went to school with. (He was a couple of years older than me, I didn’t know him all that well, but I thought he was cute.) Apparently, he and his fiancée entered a “Win Your Dream Wedding Contest” and made it to the finals. I quickly scanned the information about how to vote for them, but what struck me was the paragraph the detailed the value of the potential prize. $17,000! Can you say, “HOLY COW!”? Because I sure did! (OK, maybe not those exact words, but something very similar.)
I know the contest is for a “dream” wedding and you can call me unromantic if you want, but… $17,000 For a wedding?! I was flabbergasted!
Maybe it says something about the priorities I had as a little girl, because I barely even thought about getting married and had no idea what kind of wedding I wanted. As a result, by the time A. and I decided to get married, the only thing I wanted was an enjoyable and simple affair. I didn’t want all the headaches or bills of planning something huge, so we decided to (semi)elope and headed for… where else? Las Vegas! Sure, we only stayed in Vegas 3 days, I got married in a $60 sun dress, all we bought A. was a tie, only five members of my family were in attendance, and Dad paid for dinner afterwards, but a good time was had by all.
Even though I may not have previously planned it, the day really was like a dream… and all for the reasonable price of about $1000!
As we approach Valentine’s Day, I hope those of you planning a wedding or hoping to plan one in the near future will remember that no matter what the cost, you will remember your (first) wedding for the rest of your life. Don’t let your dream turn into a nightmare of stress and debt.
