Have you ever been to a wedding where you take it upon yourself to worry and have a little bit of ‘pity’ for the newly-weds (maybe because I’m empathetic)? The first question that crops into mind is …what are they going to eat and keep aside for rainy days?

People put themselves in so much financial mess because they’ve decided to have ‘seks’ and live together….legally/in an acceptable way. The fact that we can pay for something does not mean we can afford it.

Affordability is paying for something without even feeling the pinch afterwards. When couples go ‘sympathetically’ broke after their fantasy wedding – they simply couldn’t afford it. If you ask me, a wedding in itself is a liability if I need to squander all the little monies I have put away over a long period of time in one day. Unless of course my husband is extremely rich to give me that dream wedding…

Whatever is needed for a wedding is not an investment (maybe apart from the ring which can be pawned if things get tough). There are uncountable ways of getting married without emptying coffers. You’ll have people giving advice and helping out but just with their mouth. To some people, being rich is having money in their pocket so that is the time to spend and behave like the ‘eternally’ wealthy people.

Marriage is a marathon which needs a lot of input to put it on its toes and squandering your resources on a wedding (especially if you cannot afford it) is really not financially wise. Having a flamboyant wedding does not in any way guarantee a successful union. Weddings are getting more and more expensive and marriages are getting shorter and shorter.

There is no point having your ‘fantasy’ wedding and living/suffering with the financial consequences later; that’s not smart! A Wedding is not ‘I must do by fire by force’ thing. If you cannot afford a dream wedding now, there are anniversaries to be celebrated (that is even if you cross the mileage) and that is even worth celebrating and spending stupendously on.

What matters is the success of the union and not the ‘come, see and tell’ wedding. By the time you settle on reality land from fantasy land….the sweet cake and food consumed by the tale-bearers would have turned into waste! You are going to wear the shoe and you’ll know where it pinches… nobody else.