For many people, weddings are considered the most important day of their lives. Some people believe that to achieve a memorable wedding it is necessary to spend a small fortune, others (like me) don’t think that weddings need such a huge budget. According to this article: “Today, a true Armenian wedding costs a minimum of 5000 to 10000 dollars. And the more glamorous can go for 40000- 50000 dollars. It’s hard for the average citizen to hold even a normal, modest wedding. Many take out loans with high interest rates and then work for several years to clear the debt at the bank.”
Firstly, I think that it is necessary to understand what exactly the money is paying for. This includes things like catering for the guests to the bride’s wedding dress. Obviously, the more guests that are invited, the more money the bride and groom need to spend. In Armenia we tend to want to invite as many friends and family as possible– which leads to the seemingly ridiculous costs.
These types of weddings usually include a big rented hall or outdoor area and have expensive sound systems which play music well into the night. They’re big and fun, but not very practical for the spouses-to-be, who could end up in dept for this one night.
On the complete opposite side of the spectrum are those Armenian families that don’t want their wedding to be a grand and expensive occasion. They might instead prefer to only invite a handful of close family and friends to the church where the ceremony is being held, then later have dinner at one of their houses.
These in my opinion are just as memorable- if not more so. After the wedding the guests can all just pile into one person’s house and celebrate with home with a home cooked or restaurant ordered meal.
So in conclusion, I do believe that a wedding should be whatever the spouses-to-be want it to be. If they cant afford a big wedding than I don’t think they need one.
Personally, I don’t think I’ll ever get married, but I can’t predict the future so in the case that I do– I, like my mother, am definitely more drawn to a smaller gathering. Why spend so much on something that will only last a day? Not to mention if I did end up spending a fortune for that one day than that would be all I’d be able to think about the whole time. I just don’t think its necessary.
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