Are you for or against expensive wedding and why?

Against.
It is just bragging and a display of unwarranted self importance.
“look how important we and our wedding are, that is why we waste all that money on this nonsense.”

I paid for my own and we went as cheap as possible. It was classy but relatively inexpensive. For example we had disposable cameras on each table and had people take their own pictures and give us the film. (Before digital cameras)

Loli got it right.

I don’t see any sense in a big wedding either. It should be a special moment, to celebrate with your spouse and people close to you. All that fanfare, loud music, tons of food and drink, and all the stress of preparing it is just unnecessary. It’s all extremely formulaic and generic too: all the same music, the same looks, the same arrangements, the same food….. It’s all the same, and ironic, considering the wedding day is supposed to be a special day.
If I ever get married, I’d like it to be a simple feast with closest friends and family. A wedding with more than thirty invites is too much imo.

Total, unnecessary waste.

I’m in favor of small, casual and personal to the couple but I know that’s not the trend these days.

It’s a massive waste and a huge financial blunder.

My wife and I had a wedding package at the stratosphere casino at vegas with close family and friends. Not only did they do all the work but it was classy and inexpensive too. We just basically showed up, had the cerimony, nice reception dinner then partied in vegas. Everyone basically said it was the best wedding they had been too.

Weddings are used as a way to show off how rich you are. They always have been a way to show off money. During the time period in which Queen Victoria was reigning, dresses that were worn on a regular basis were not white because most people could only afford one dress. If they wore a white dress and it got dirty, it was obvious. Queen Victoria wanted to show off some lace she got so she wore a white dress for her wedding, which made others want white dresses. Most companies charge more for weddings than they do birthday parties or other types of parties. I don’t think having a big fancy wedding showcases your love for someone else, I think there are other ways to show others your love for someone that don’t involve spending copious amounts of money.
I’m not against huge weddings, I just won’t be having one.

Anyone else can do whatever they like and I won’t judge but for me I’d like to keep it small and casual.

Total waste of time/money/energy. I barely tolerate the concept of marriage – would only consider it for the tax benefits – so the thought of spending money on a wedding has always made me queasy. It’s one of the reasons I rarely accept invitations to weddings or anything connected to them.

I personally had a very small wedding. A group of friends met on a beautiful island and we got married and we all had a weekend party. Even with us paying for their accommodation, it was cheap. They paid for their airfares.

But everyone is different. There are different cultural expectations. I prefer not to tell people how they should organise their wedding beyond, do what makes you happy because it’s what you want, not what others expect.

Yep, total waste of good money. Much better off having a small but nice wedding and taking the cash and applying it to a new home, a memorable honeymoon vacation, or both.

Tough room. How harshly some of you judge. I prefer a small, more intimate ceremony, but I certainly don’t assume that someone else is wasting their money when they choose to employ a larger number of people to do specialized work for them. I see nothing wrong with giving good business to caterers, florists, musicians, venue owners etc. etc.

We were 25 when we got married, had decent jobs, and bought a house. We also paid for our own honeymoon.

I had every intention of having a small wedding, but my old school Italian father-in-law insisted on paying and having a huge shindig. It was a great wedding all around.

If you can afford it or the parents really want to pay for it, why not? I enjoy big weddings.

That being said, you shouldn’t feel obligated to have one and certainly not to show off. That’s just silly and shallow.

I preferred a small wedding. It was really sweet with close family and friends.
But I love going to large weddings with a band and all the big shindigs. As long as I’m not paying.

I’m in favor of whatever the couple wants as long as they (whoever is paying for it) can afford it.

I think a big wedding is a silly extravagance but if that’s what people want and can afford, it’s on them.

I think the whole event industry has gone overboard with all the pomp, fluff and bling; weddings, prom, sweet sixteen, quinceañera, bar/bat mitvahs, and confirmations are being treated like celebrity events and putting people into debt. I got married a few months ago for just over a thousand dollars.

If money had been no object, I’d have thrown a much larger wedding bash by flying in anyone we know who wanted to attend and putting them all up for a week in a hotel so they could get to know each their, but it would still be totally casual with lots of good food.