[Jonathan Leane]

'The Instagram Generation': Millennials and Gen Z spending over $100,000 on weddings. What are your thoughts?​

In today's age of social media and 'keeping up with the Joneses', more and more couples are choosing to spend large sums of money on their wedding.

For some, like the Original Poster's (OP) niece and her long-time boyfriend, this means setting a budget of $100,000.

‘It shocked me to hear the amount. Until now, it still boggles my mind how two young adults can spend this amount on a wedding,’ the OP mentioned.

She continued: ‘We, the elders, counselled against it. Arguing that half of this amount is best put into their mortgage. But they have this vision of a wedding and nothing would change their minds.’

Some younger couples are spending up to and over $100,000 for the perfect 'instagram' wedding. What do you think? Source: OpenAI​

It's not just the OP who is struggling to understand the high cost of weddings in the 2020s.

‘Getting up to 50k is pretty standard these days and I’d say all my friends would have spent 30k minimum,’ one comment said.

‘The whole system is designed to extract money out of you,’ another person wrote.

So, has the minimum cost of a typical wedding really increased by THAT much, or is it just a matter of perspective? Some Redditors blasted the couple:

‘I find that unthinkable and I earn well above average, my “wedding” will be just signing the papers at the town hall or whatever the place is, I’ll spend like 5k for a party with close friends and 10-15k on the honeymoon and that’s it, maybe I’m cheap, my [soon to be] wife agrees so we are good using our money wisely,’ one person said.

A further comment echoed this sentiment, writing: ‘Couples shouldn't spend more than they can afford on a wedding just to impress their guests. Weddings, like most other visible goods, are a little bit gauche if you spend money on them and then splash them everywhere on your socials. To me, it screams “secretly poor” when people do this.’

Another user praised the virtues of an 'elopement wedding', stating that they spent just $2,000 on their 14-guest ceremony, $1,500 on their reception dinner, and $6,000 on their dress, suit and rings.

‘We were considered cheap and the black sheep!’ they wrote, however, showing how expected it is these days to throw an expensive, lavish party.

Other users were less scathing, pointing out that the cost of a wedding is an individual thing - and couples should spend what they can afford without making any lifestyle sacrifices.

‘I think as long as the couple can easily afford it (i.e. pay for it without making any lifestyle sacrifices) I have no issues with it,’ one comment said.

‘You've not given a huge amount of context like the venue, number of guests, food/grog package, all things that make a difference to the cost. If they're getting married in a Sydney wedding venue, with 100+ people, good quality suppliers (hair, food, flowers, band, photographer, videographer, etc), then yeah, $100k is about right,’ said another.

At the end of the day, it's up to the couple to decide how much they want to spend on their wedding, but if you ask us we think a modestly priced wedding makes a lot more sense, with the amount saved going towards paying down debts being the sensible option.

We previously covered the story of one bride-to-be who sacrificed her health to afford a lavish wedding. It’s certainly a concerning trend.

What do you think is a reasonable amount to spend? And if it’s not too personal a question, what year did you get married and how much did you spend? Let us know in the comments!

 

[Suzanne rose]

I married in 1988 after 12 years together . We went to dinner with our best friends who were our witnesses.

I'm all for intimate weddings
So far one daughter spent $22,000 the 2nd one $60,000 my son spent $70,000 and my last daughter $25,000 we have two daughters getting married next year June and October both will be around $50,000 each

I would rather this money put on their house but will receive close to this back in gifts

 

[My handle]

You got to hope it lasts if you are shelling out this amount of cash.

 

[riskydave]

In today's age of social media and 'keeping up with the Joneses', more and more couples are choosing to spend large sums of money on their wedding.

For some, like the Original Poster's (OP) niece and her long-time boyfriend, this means setting a budget of $100,000.

‘It shocked me to hear the amount. Until now, it still boggles my mind how two young adults can spend this amount on a wedding,’ the OP mentioned.

She continued: ‘We, the elders, counselled against it. Arguing that half of this amount is best put into their mortgage. But they have this vision of a wedding and nothing would change their minds.’

View attachment 5244
Some younger couples are spending up to and over $100,000 for the perfect 'instagram' wedding. What do you think? Source: OpenAI​

It's not just the OP who is struggling to understand the high cost of weddings in the 2020s.

‘Getting up to 50k is pretty standard these days and I’d say all my friends would have spent 30k minimum,’ one comment said.

‘The whole system is designed to extract money out of you,’ another person wrote.

So, has the minimum cost of a typical wedding really increased by THAT much, or is it just a matter of perspective? Some Redditors blasted the couple:

‘I find that unthinkable and I earn well above average, my “wedding” will be just signing the papers at the town hall or whatever the place is, I’ll spend like 5k for a party with close friends and 10-15k on the honeymoon and that’s it, maybe I’m cheap, my [soon to be] wife agrees so we are good using our money wisely,’ one person said.

A further comment echoed this sentiment, writing: ‘Couples shouldn't spend more than they can afford on a wedding just to impress their guests. Weddings, like most other visible goods, are a little bit gauche if you spend money on them and then splash them everywhere on your socials. To me, it screams “secretly poor” when people do this.’

Another user praised the virtues of an 'elopement wedding', stating that they spent just $2,000 on their 14-guest ceremony, $1,500 on their reception dinner, and $6,000 on their dress, suit and rings.

‘We were considered cheap and the black sheep!’ they wrote, however, showing how expected it is these days to throw an expensive, lavish party.

Other users were less scathing, pointing out that the cost of a wedding is an individual thing - and couples should spend what they can afford without making any lifestyle sacrifices.

‘I think as long as the couple can easily afford it (i.e. pay for it without making any lifestyle sacrifices) I have no issues with it,’ one comment said.

‘You've not given a huge amount of context like the venue, number of guests, food/grog package, all things that make a difference to the cost. If they're getting married in a Sydney wedding venue, with 100+ people, good quality suppliers (hair, food, flowers, band, photographer, videographer, etc), then yeah, $100k is about right,’ said another.

At the end of the day, it's up to the couple to decide how much they want to spend on their wedding, but if you ask us we think a modestly priced wedding makes a lot more sense, with the amount saved going towards paying down debts being the sensible option.

We previously covered the story of one bride-to-be who sacrificed her health to afford a lavish wedding. It’s certainly a concerning trend.

What do you think is a reasonable amount to spend? And if it’s not too personal a question, what year did you get married and how much did you spend? Let us know in the comments!

Paying down debt, I think most of that hundred thousand is probably creating more debt I would say, most of it would be on the credit cards I'd reckon.

 

[Ricci]

That amount is a goodly part of a house deposit and I know which I'd rather have. With so many marriages failing these days it seems immoral to spend so much just to impress others. I bet a lot of these couples are the most vociferous about the high costs of rent and not being able to afford their dream home. They are far too in the moment with no forward planning or even mental picture of their life 5, 10. or 15 years from now. I even overheard a bride to be say that she was only going to spend $25,000 to $30.000 on her wedding as she couldn't see it lasting more than 5 years as she'd be bored by then.

 

[Suzanne rose]

That amount is a goodly part of a house deposit and I know which I'd rather have. With so many marriages failing these days it seems immoral to spend so much just to impress others. I bet a lot of these couples are the most vociferous about the high costs of rent and not being able to afford their dream home. They are far too in the moment with no forward planning or even mental picture of their life 5, 10. or 15 years from now. I even overheard a bride to be say that she was only going to spend $25,000 to $30.000 on her wedding as she couldn't see it lasting more than 5 years as she'd be bored by then.

Omg marrying when you don't think it will last 5 years !!! I think a big problem is divorce is to easy.

What a little argument and off to get a divorce.

Couples should be counselled before marriage so they know what to expect and how to fix problems . Marriage is work geez I would have been divorced untold times by now

 

[MIZMAC]

In today's age of social media and 'keeping up with the Joneses', more and more couples are choosing to spend large sums of money on their wedding.

For some, like the Original Poster's (OP) niece and her long-time boyfriend, this means setting a budget of $100,000.

‘It shocked me to hear the amount. Until now, it still boggles my mind how two young adults can spend this amount on a wedding,’ the OP mentioned.

She continued: ‘We, the elders, counselled against it. Arguing that half of this amount is best put into their mortgage. But they have this vision of a wedding and nothing would change their minds.’

View attachment 5244
Some younger couples are spending up to and over $100,000 for the perfect 'instagram' wedding. What do you think? Source: OpenAI​

It's not just the OP who is struggling to understand the high cost of weddings in the 2020s.

‘Getting up to 50k is pretty standard these days and I’d say all my friends would have spent 30k minimum,’ one comment said.

‘The whole system is designed to extract money out of you,’ another person wrote.

So, has the minimum cost of a typical wedding really increased by THAT much, or is it just a matter of perspective? Some Redditors blasted the couple:

‘I find that unthinkable and I earn well above average, my “wedding” will be just signing the papers at the town hall or whatever the place is, I’ll spend like 5k for a party with close friends and 10-15k on the honeymoon and that’s it, maybe I’m cheap, my [soon to be] wife agrees so we are good using our money wisely,’ one person said.

A further comment echoed this sentiment, writing: ‘Couples shouldn't spend more than they can afford on a wedding just to impress their guests. Weddings, like most other visible goods, are a little bit gauche if you spend money on them and then splash them everywhere on your socials. To me, it screams “secretly poor” when people do this.’

Another user praised the virtues of an 'elopement wedding', stating that they spent just $2,000 on their 14-guest ceremony, $1,500 on their reception dinner, and $6,000 on their dress, suit and rings.

‘We were considered cheap and the black sheep!’ they wrote, however, showing how expected it is these days to throw an expensive, lavish party.

Other users were less scathing, pointing out that the cost of a wedding is an individual thing - and couples should spend what they can afford without making any lifestyle sacrifices.

‘I think as long as the couple can easily afford it (i.e. pay for it without making any lifestyle sacrifices) I have no issues with it,’ one comment said.

‘You've not given a huge amount of context like the venue, number of guests, food/grog package, all things that make a difference to the cost. If they're getting married in a Sydney wedding venue, with 100+ people, good quality suppliers (hair, food, flowers, band, photographer, videographer, etc), then yeah, $100k is about right,’ said another.

At the end of the day, it's up to the couple to decide how much they want to spend on their wedding, but if you ask us we think a modestly priced wedding makes a lot more sense, with the amount saved going towards paying down debts being the sensible option.

We previously covered the story of one bride-to-be who sacrificed her health to afford a lavish wedding. It’s certainly a concerning trend.

What do you think is a reasonable amount to spend? And if it’s not too personal a question, what year did you get married and how much did you spend? Let us know in the comments!

Who is paying, bride and groom or parents? Need to remember how much the parents can afford and how many weddings they may pay for.

 

[Suzanne rose]

Who is paying, bride and groom or parents? Need to remember how much the parents can afford and how many weddings they may pay for.

Today mostly it's the bride and groom paying. I worked in bridal and for some reason I would ask and 99 per cent said they were paying , even the bride paid for her dress, sometimes mum paid.

I have 13 kids and so far 6 are married, one of them is separated which is sad I always give a gift of $5,000

 

[riskydave]

That amount is a goodly part of a house deposit and I know which I'd rather have. With so many marriages failing these days it seems immoral to spend so much just to impress others. I bet a lot of these couples are the most vociferous about the high costs of rent and not being able to afford their dream home. They are far too in the moment with no forward planning or even mental picture of their life 5, 10. or 15 years from now. I even overheard a bride to be say that she was only going to spend $25,000 to $30.000 on her wedding as she couldn't see it lasting more than 5 years as she'd be bored by then.

Too much smashed avo and latte for breakfast and then anther 50 to 100,000 on a wedding and then whinging because the cost of living is just outrageous, how do people save for a house deposit??......gosh, I wonder!

 

[Suzanne rose]

Too much smashed avo and latte for breakfast and then anther 50 to 100,000 on a wedding and then whinging because the cost of living is just outrageous, how do people save for a house deposit??......gosh, I wonder!

I think too many people were spoon fed

 

[Chris P Bacon]

My sister-in-law spent $65,000 on her wedding ( I think she sold her vast collection of engagement rings ) and the chosen wedding song was "I still haven't found what I'm looking for"

 

[JayEeGeeP]

Doesn't suggest they are marrying for love, more like for show. Starting out with that kind of debt doesn't sound like a good start for a happy and lasting marriage.

 

[Elbe]

The old saying 'more money than sense' comes to mind ........

 

[Joydie]

In today's age of social media and 'keeping up with the Joneses', more and more couples are choosing to spend large sums of money on their wedding.

For some, like the Original Poster's (OP) niece and her long-time boyfriend, this means setting a budget of $100,000.

‘It shocked me to hear the amount. Until now, it still boggles my mind how two young adults can spend this amount on a wedding,’ the OP mentioned.

She continued: ‘We, the elders, counselled against it. Arguing that half of this amount is best put into their mortgage. But they have this vision of a wedding and nothing would change their minds.’

View attachment 5244
Some younger couples are spending up to and over $100,000 for the perfect 'instagram' wedding. What do you think? Source: OpenAI​

It's not just the OP who is struggling to understand the high cost of weddings in the 2020s.

‘Getting up to 50k is pretty standard these days and I’d say all my friends would have spent 30k minimum,’ one comment said.

‘The whole system is designed to extract money out of you,’ another person wrote.

So, has the minimum cost of a typical wedding really increased by THAT much, or is it just a matter of perspective? Some Redditors blasted the couple:

‘I find that unthinkable and I earn well above average, my “wedding” will be just signing the papers at the town hall or whatever the place is, I’ll spend like 5k for a party with close friends and 10-15k on the honeymoon and that’s it, maybe I’m cheap, my [soon to be] wife agrees so we are good using our money wisely,’ one person said.

A further comment echoed this sentiment, writing: ‘Couples shouldn't spend more than they can afford on a wedding just to impress their guests. Weddings, like most other visible goods, are a little bit gauche if you spend money on them and then splash them everywhere on your socials. To me, it screams “secretly poor” when people do this.’

Another user praised the virtues of an 'elopement wedding', stating that they spent just $2,000 on their 14-guest ceremony, $1,500 on their reception dinner, and $6,000 on their dress, suit and rings.

‘We were considered cheap and the black sheep!’ they wrote, however, showing how expected it is these days to throw an expensive, lavish party.

Other users were less scathing, pointing out that the cost of a wedding is an individual thing - and couples should spend what they can afford without making any lifestyle sacrifices.

‘I think as long as the couple can easily afford it (i.e. pay for it without making any lifestyle sacrifices) I have no issues with it,’ one comment said.

‘You've not given a huge amount of context like the venue, number of guests, food/grog package, all things that make a difference to the cost. If they're getting married in a Sydney wedding venue, with 100+ people, good quality suppliers (hair, food, flowers, band, photographer, videographer, etc), then yeah, $100k is about right,’ said another.

At the end of the day, it's up to the couple to decide how much they want to spend on their wedding, but if you ask us we think a modestly priced wedding makes a lot more sense, with the amount saved going towards paying down debts being the sensible option.

We previously covered the story of one bride-to-be who sacrificed her health to afford a lavish wedding. It’s certainly a concerning trend.

What do you think is a reasonable amount to spend? And if it’s not too personal a question, what year did you get married and how much did you spend? Let us know in the comments!

I read recently that the more expensive the wedding, the less chance there is of a long, happy marriage. If this is true, I believe that a contributing factor could be the number of girls who want to be a bride more than they want to be a wife.

 

[Suzanne rose]

I read recently that the more expensive the wedding, the less chance there is of a long, happy marriage. If this is true, I believe that a contributing factor could be the number of girls who want to be a bride more than they want to be a wife.

Don't you mean A Princess

 

[Elbe]

I read recently that the more expensive the wedding, the less chance there is of a long, happy marriage. If this is true, I believe that a contributing factor could be the number of girls who want to be a bride more than they want to be a wife.

I watched a few episodes of 'Say yes to the dress' and was dismayed by the bridezillas (and their ghastly 'entourages') because it was blatantly obvious that - for most - the big expensive weddings are just another way to show off. All saying they are wanting to be unique but all exactly the same in conforming to modern trends ....... and all so shallow & fake! No wonder the marriages don't last !

 

[Suzanne rose]

I watched a few episodes of 'Say yes to the dress' and was dismayed by the bridezillas (and their ghastly 'entourages') because it was blatantly obvious that - for most - the big expensive weddings are just another way to show off. All saying they are wanting to be unique but all exactly the same in conforming to modern trends ....... and all so shallow & fake! No wonder the marriages don't last !

That was what I did for a living , finding the bride her perfect dress. Believe me I dealt with my share of bridezillas .
I have some good stories, and sad stories.

 

[marcrebelt]

I think some of them just don't think about the future. A good wedding ceremony is prestigious and profitable in my country, especially if you have a big family. I know many people who got loans from banks just to make a good wedding ceremony and get money from the guests. This is very stupid, but some people want beautiful wedding photos. Need to say that today many people are trying to shine on social media and gain more followers and likes under their photos. I even know people using promotional services to gain even more followers. For example, you see here more examples of this kind of account.

 

[ChaseBurnett]

Hey there! As a fellow human being, I totally get the pressure to have a picture-perfect wedding that will impress everyone. But spending over $100k on one day seems like a lot to me. I mean, think of all the other things you could do with that money, like travel the world or invest in your future. Btw, as for bachelor party ideas, what do you think? It really depends on what the groom likes. If he's into outdoor stuff, maybe a camping trip or a day of hiking would be cool. If he's more of a party animal, maybe hit up some bars or clubs for a night out. I'd try to keep it safe and not do anything too crazy!