You'll Never Guess What We Spent on Our Wedding

So, Gil called me on a Wednesday evening about a month after we got engaged to one another.

He was sort of hesitating so I knew something was up. I was already a little annoyed because it been a long day and I wasn't thinking about anything other than planning this beautiful wedding for he and I.

Me: What's up, Gilly? [Goes on 45 second rant about flowers]

Gil: [long pause]

Me: What's up?

Gil: I don't want you to think this has anything to do with my desire to marry you, but I do not want to spend $5,000 on a wedding.

🙄

I was pissed. First of all, the average wedding costs over $30,000. Now, that number was never going to be us. Of course, if either one of us came from money and had disposable income, I could have done more in one day than anyone could imagine, but I knew what we were working with. He was serious about cutting it down to $2,000.

And he said, I do not want to spend more than this.

Who the hell can plan a spectacular wedding for 2k? We might as well just not have a wedding. I was sad and pissed, but with the debt I had and goals to buy a home, I understood.

I got off the phone before showing my ass, but I understood.

My mom was in the other room and as only a mom could, she said, "It sucks, but certainly not the end of the world. We will still plan a beautiful wedding for you two."

This month's theme is not just weddings, ceremonies and how people celebrate the tradition of marriage.

The topic of ceremonies is very close to me. The right of passage of a bar/bat mitzvah to a burial or christening. These opportunities to be together and acknowledge the movement of time is beautiful to me and one I do not take lightly.

Also, I wanted a got damn wedding. Sheesh.

My mom kicked in money for the wedding and paid for some of my dress. My "new" family put money towards the house.

All told our wedding cost us $2k with a total of a little over $4500 with my mother's help.

I will talk more about the budget, share my excel sheets (because me), but what I'm most excited about this month are the different types of ceremonies that guest writers wrote about for Chrispin + Crane about their ceremonies. We have everyone from a mother who spent $40,000 for her daughter to people who eloped. I can't wait for you to see the photos and read the stories. Thank you so much for being a reader of Chrispin + Crane. Happy celebrating!