Marriage...expensive or just the wedding?

[mustaphadrink]

I often come across couples who arent married but just live together, and they might be together for many years, even have children and buy a house together. But they just arent married. And when I ask why, the most common reason given is its too expensive to get married.

Is it really?

And sometimes its even christian believers who say this.

So how are we to think of marriage is it only for the rich? Only if the hsuband is willing to provide for his household, what does this say about people who dont marry yet live like they are married. They are too poor? Can weddings be cheaper or why not just register at an office. Or does it all need to be done in church. Why is it so expensive? People say they'd rather spend the money on a house. But what does that say about priorities? Have a wedding, be married and be homeless, or not marry and have a roof over your head. Can one have both?

The wedding is a deposit. Marriage is the weekly payment. No one escapes those. You can make the wedding as cheap or expensive as you want so that is a load of whatever.

 

[mustaphadrink]

The most expensive thing in my first two weddings was the rings.

First Two? How many have you had?

 

[mustaphadrink]

Some sort of bereavement ministry for those getting married. Yeah, for some couples this may be appropriate.

I didn't know what happiness was until I got married and then it was too late.

 

[mustaphadrink]

A little boy asked his father, "Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?" Father replied, "I don't know son, I'm still paying."

My wife just found out I replaced our bed with a trampoline; she hit the roof

A doctor tells a woman she can no longer touch anything alcoholic. So she gets a divorce.

 

[Lanolin]

I found out it was a $3000 bar tab for the wedding, where they invited 80 guests but not all came to the refreshments. I think thats a lot for some couples to spend when they got bills to pay. But they only need to have ONE wedding, its not like its every week!

I think some people have their pride and dont want to rip off their guests and make them feel like they have to pay, they want to be hospitable, just like when Jesus was called to turn water into wine it would have been a disaster if the wine had run out at that wedding. well not for me I dont much care for wine but you cant let your guests go hungry.

 

[mustaphadrink]

I found out it was a $3000 bar tab for the wedding, where they invited 80 guests but not all came to the refreshments. I think thats a lot for some couples to spend when they got bills to pay. But they only need to have ONE wedding, its not like its every week!

I think some people have their pride and dont want to rip off their guests and make them feel like they have to pay, they want to be hospitable, just like when Jesus was called to turn water into wine it would have been a disaster if the wine had run out at that wedding. well not for me I dont much care for wine but you cant let your guests go hungry.

And as they say, your guest is as good as mine.

 

[calibob]

And as they say, your guest is as good as mine.

Wow. I thought Little White Wedding Chapel in Vegas was expensive. Well It is if you know the real (net) price for we used to sell there. You can go there (or 60+ other chapels in town) have it broadcast via internet so your friends can watch at home and have a honeymoon for a fraction of the cost and have a ball. Including seeing shows maybe hoover dam and the Grand Canyon and take a Helicopter ride down the strip. You can get married up, up and away in a hot air balloon there too. It's not most women's dream (Barbie or Princess) wedding, but you can get a lot more for less. And yes it's real and completely legal for U.S. residents.

Forget what you saw on friends or the hangover. I know what I'm talking about. My name is on the witness line on Britany Spears 1st wedding certificate (to a Jason Alexander, (not the guy from Seinfeld) and a matter of public record.

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• calibob
• Jul 31, 2018

 

[calibob]

You can check with the Las Vegas convention and visitors bureau for more details and prices. I even created a biker wedding package in our drive thru about 15 years ago. I know where you can rent a Harley or two!
Base price "Biker Special" (not including motorcycle rental) is; $160 + ministers donation. You must have a valid Clark County (Las Vegas) wedding liscense. Available at the court house till midnight 7 nights a week and open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays.

[email protected]​

 

[Lanolin]

mm. Dont think there will be any takers from nz. The cost of just getting to las vegas would be prohibitive to many.

 

[calibob]

We had some foreign travel agents on Commission from Japan and U.K. Enormous packages including airlines, hotel accommodations limos, floral. tux & gown, make up & hair. Video, photos and live streaming on line. I mean if a couple was considering a Las Vegas honeymoon, It would be a bargain. Nuff said, I'm retired, just saying... Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas where the Mob lawer in the true part of the film 'Casino' (Oscar Goodman) played himself and afterward became the mayor. after he retired he opened a 'Mob Museum". Really!

Our town's unofficial motto was "Welcome to Vegas, come on vacation and leave on probation." OOoooops!

Ya gotta have a sense of humor to work there!

 

[Lanolin]

someone played the part of himself in a movie about las vegas and then got to be the actual mayor?
Interesting.

Its that like someone playing the boss of everyone on tv and then getting to be the president of the united states? I wonder if Martha Stewart has ever considered presidency....hmm

 

[Lanolin]

well
friends is married now so this thread can be put to rest.
I was just reading through it again.
I never really did figure out what took the guy so long. I think maybe he just wasnt there spiritually on the same page as she was.

ITs kinda sad though it took them 18 years.

 

[Lanolin]

A friend showed me some pics of a workmates daughters wedding reception, at one of the vineyards and it was extravagant plus. The bride and groom were sitting on thrones, they had an entire row of flowers as the table decorations, the gown was all lace...she said it was like something out of tuscany. But in nz. I wonder if real weddings in tuscany are this extravangant or if this is just normal everyday for them, because to pay for venues like this would cost an arm and a leg if it wasnt owned by your own family.

A cousin said her friends had a backyard wedding. For sure some backyards are beautiful, maybe on a lifestyle bloack or something but in the suburbs you are mostly looking at a sagging fence, washing line and a scraggly lemon tree (and other houses) as your backdrop!

 

[calibob]

A friend showed me some pics of a workmates daughters wedding reception, at one of the vineyards and it was extravagant plus. The bride and groom were sitting on thrones, they had an entire row of flowers as the table decorations, the gown was all lace...she said it was like something out of tuscany. But in nz. I wonder if real weddings in tuscany are this extravangant or if this is just normal everyday for them, because to pay for venues like this would cost an arm and a leg if it wasnt owned by your own family.

A cousin said her friends had a backyard wedding. For sure some backyards are beautiful, maybe on a lifestyle bloack or something but in the suburbs you are mostly looking at a sagging fence, washing line and a scraggly lemon tree (and other houses) as your backdrop!

When I used to work at "The Little White Wedding Chapel" in Las Vegas from 2000-2008 we performed weddings in the drive thru from $25 USD.

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• calibob
• Jul 31, 2018

 

[calibob]

P.S. We didn't do gay weddings or commitment ceremonies. (Although other places did.)

 

[Lanolin]

Did you ever ask people 'is this your first wedding? '

 

[calibob]

Did you ever ask people 'is this your first wedding? '

We didn't have to. It was on the wedding liscense. We weren't a church but a business and being a christian wasn't a requirement to work there. The ministers were required to have a congregation of at least 8 people but any minister with a (legal) legitimate ordination could perform ceremonies. Christian or not. We had 2 Bahai faith ministers. We (the LLC company) allowed 2 ministers (that worked there) to use rooms for their flocks on Sundays ministers because they didn't have a building or store front. ministers were women. We were open till 2am Monday nights (Tuesday mornings) thru Thursday nights and from 7am Friday - 2am Monday morning (Sunday nights) We took reservations 24/7 and if someone wanted to get married during off hours, made a reservation and paid a deposit, we would stay open for them.

The CEO was an ordained Christian female pastor and had a few rules like; no gay, (at that time) fake, drunk, nude or Satanic & etc., weddings or renewals' of vows. Each minister was required to be certified by Clark County Nevada. The limit for the ministers to work was 20 hours per week, by law.

Each couple was handed an envelope in which to place a donation for the minister. It would be placed in a sepperate safe, pooled and counted every week then divided into shares accordingly. We were not a non-profit church or organization. It was a BIG BUSINESS. Not a Ministry. For me it was, just a job. However most of the ministers and almost half of the employees were Christians. It took a thick skin and binders to live and work in 'Naked City' (Central Las Vegas between 'The Strip' and old downtown). I'm grateful I survived to be honest. Many don't!

 

[Lanolin]

what did you do after you finished with that job? just wondering.
I dont know about marrying at 2am in the morning!
I wonder if many went to the divorced courts a couple of days later. I mean maybe people werent drunk, but a few could have been high.

 

[calibob]

what did you do after you finished with that job? just wondering.
I dont know about marrying at 2am in the morning!
I wonder if many went to the divorced courts a couple of days later. I mean maybe people werent drunk, but a few could have been high.

It was usually after dawn in Vegas. Breakfast buffets usually.

By drunk we meant; take their keys away, taking stupid, cursing, talking stupid and/or staggering drunk. In other words obviously drunk.

The Casinos and most bars never close. In fact cutoff time was when the tables closed or the customer got 86'd.

The night Brittany Spears and Jason got married her lawyers were standing outside, with an annulment and a gag order when the doors were unlocked. (They must have gotten a judge out of bed. Money talks) They shut me up but couldn't take my name off of the witness line of their Certificate of Marriage. Robert L. Xxxxxx I got two weeks off to keep quiet.

 

[tourist]

When I used to work at "The Little White Wedding Chapel" in Las Vegas from 2000-2008 we performed weddings in the drive thru from $25 USD.

lwc.jpg

• calibob
• Jul 31, 2018

I wanted to get married in The Little Wedding Chapel but Darlene vetoed that idea. Instead we got married in our room at the Hilton across from Circus Circus. No Elvis either. Nice spiritual Christian minister though. Free Thanksgiving Day dinner too because we got married in their hotel. Nice peeps there all around.