Paying for a wedding is like paying for college: You can’t afford it, but somehow you do and forever after you are richer. This speaks nothing to the extravagance of the wedding or the prestige of the college. It only says everything about what is actually important.
If you spent a little more than you thought you ought, I doubt you will regret it. If you held a little back for something more enjoyable, I wish you luck in finding that better thing. To have a wedding you can afford might be a missed opportunity, not to show off, but to prove to yourself that some things in life are magical and end up paying for themselves.
This does not come from the accountant I am, but from the guy with his heart on his sleeve, the very residue from wiping tears of joy from his eyes and sniffle-dew from the end of his nose. Of course these notions are fanciful and based on loose reality at the sacrifice of practicality, but the father of the bride lives in a dream leading up to his daughter’s wedding day. He wonders, “If only I could share this great joy with our entire community, beyond just that limited number who actually attend the feast.
” And it is that fantasy that gives him the emotional courage to eventually make himself finally sit down late one night and write his toast to the bride and groom. And, when he did, it went something like this: Thank you! We are delighted you are here celebrating this wonderful occasion with us. You are here for one reason, and it's not the food.