OpinionWeddings This article is more than 12 years oldCounting the cost of a hobo wedding
This article is more than 12 years oldKirsten HansenA US couple's 'Depression-era' nuptials cost $15,000. But that's less than the wedding industrial complex would likeOver the past week, bridal online communities have been all-aflutter over what's been dubbed Sarah Hunt and Brian Brown's "hobo wedding", which first appeared on the Etsy Handmade Weddings blog. The American couple chose a "Depression-era hobo wedding" theme because of the groom grandmother's own Depression wedding, which struck a chord with them.
According to Brown's tweet, their dream wedding came with a price tag of $15,000 (£9,000) – despite having penniless migrant workers as its theme. Seems a little out of touch, doesn't it? Regretsy's Helen Killer certainly thought so, and applied her caustic wit to the event. Commenters took it from there and the flame war spread across the internet.
If actual hobos and people during the Depression dressed, ate, decorated and lived as they did because they were poor, why would it cost so much to recreate that look for their big day? A couple that supposedly valued having a wedding that was "unfussy, honest, beautiful, fun and, most importantly, from the heart" sure seem to have spent a whole lot of money to achieve the look of poverty.
Let's consider the price tag though. It turns out it may not be nearly as far out of line as we think, even if most regular people would never consider spending that much money on any regular party. Weddings, however, aren't a regular party; they are a booming business in the US. According to TheKnot.com, a popular wedding site, the average American wedding costs about $24,000. A wedding in larger urban centres could easily cost closer to $50,000. Who says you can't put a price on love, dreams and happiness? According to the website CostofWedding.com, the price per guest alone for a wedding in New York could easily be about $200 – if a couple is inviting 150 guests, they're already looking at $30,000.
Just what exactly happened? How did weddings go from celebrations of a new marriage to incredibly expensive extravaganzas that put couples or their families in debt? The wedding industrial complex is to blame. The term refers both to the way the wedding industry has worked to sell the "perfect" wedding (check out a bridal magazine, it's all there in gorgeously retouched advertisements), and to the social expectations about what makes a wedding (tuxedo, diamond and white dress splendour). It is a big machine, all working to ensure that anyone getting married should expect to pay a whole lot of money for the privilege. Unless, of course, they're willing to sacrifice their dreams and crush their love under the heel of practicality. The wedding industry is out to make money, and someone's special day is how they do it. It has been a brilliant marketing campaign, not least because most of us have bought into it. They've already sold us on their merchandise which is wrapped up as "romance", "hopes" and that "one perfect day". The price tag shouldn't matter if a couple is really in love.
Of course, there are many couples out there who reject the idea that their wedding has to cost them as much as a downpayment on a house. DIY weddings are becoming more popular and couples are finding ways to put their own stamp on the big day for a lower price. They are finding free venues, having potlucks, hiring amateur photographers or choosing weekday weddings. A couple can forego many things like wedding favours and huge guest lists; there are definitely ways to cut costs.
There is, however, only so much a couple can do about their budget unless they're willing to ditch the "perfect wedding" ideal entirely. A larger guest list, a rented venue, a caterer – every little bit adds up, and if they are unlucky, the place they live might be expensive by nature.
In the end, we have no idea how exactly the budget was spent for the "hobo wedding" or what options they had, what costs they could have cut and where the money went for their wedding inspired by a "back-to-basics" reception. They are, after all, under the national average for wedding cost. That one special day with all the perfect trappings can sure be expensive. But it still sounds like a lot of money to say, "I do".
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoKyaqpSerq96wqikaJuforqmutOiqp%2BqlZp8pLXFmqSeqpmYrnB%2Bj2poaJmlnHxxhI6hppunXayypbDIp55mnJWlv6a%2F0qKmp2WVp64%3D