I agree with you on that one.

The more the wedding, the quicker the divorce...

On that note, my husband actually did plan our wedding... We eloped and a Judge married us. All I did was fill out paperwork and show up.

And I had no bridemaids...

My two witnesses were guys and I was the only woman in the room...

But we've lasted almost 3 years and counting...

AND my MIL is still psycho over what we did...

Mine will be, too when she finds out. But that's okay because I don't like her anyway.

I'm a girl... but my perfect wedding will involve getting married at Lincoln Financial, preferably on the football field. Lincoln Financial, btw, is the stadium for the Philadelphia Eagles. Also, the wedding will be during the offseason (Feb-May), no conflicts with the regular season and playoffs.

with a super bowl champion banner or two hanging up as well, right?

Of course. It would be the icing on the cake.

I kind of don't get this whole mentality. My ideal wedding is tiny, cheap, and the reception is on my parents' back deck with lots of cheap beer. In a can.

That said, I'm "that age", and the last three or four guys I've dated have mentioned their thoughts on their weddings (easy for thoughts to turn that way, I guess, when everybody and their brother is taking vows.) Anyway, all of them pictured a monsterous monstrocity with an open bar, cake, etc. One said, "I have to. I have a big family."

Eesh. To me, I think maybe the litmus test is the JOP wedding. If you can't picture having that and being happy (i.e., just with being married) maybe you should rethink that. Big weddings are great, but wow. That's a lot of money and a lot of fuss to accomplish one little thing...

I totally know what you are talking about. My job tends to open up the discussion (w/them initiating it usually) and they all have ideas. The ones who grimice at the idea of a keg in the backyard don't usually get a second date. I've been very suprised at the number of guys who have thoughts on it. I support it, I don't want to plan the whole thing.

I got married in the mountains in Georgia at the courthouse, just my husband and I...and then I let my mom plan the relgious ceramony. It wasn't a big deal to me like it was to her...and since I was already married, who cares what my mom plans;) ;)

Wedding planners
 

Ok, so I'm not a guy, but my cousin, who is a guy, planned his wedding. Here's what he did ...

He and his fiance lived in Alberta, and flew to BC for a party at his parents' home (her parents came over for that). They then flew to Hawaii and got hitched. Then, he and his wife flew back to Alberta where they had a big bash for their friends.

Why? Because the family and friends were always insisting that they marry in either BC or Alberta so he thought he would really throw a wrench in the works and go totally out of Canada.

Cheers!

As a wedding coordinator, I always require that I meet with the b&g before any planning gets started. I like to get to know the both of them as to what they like and what they picture for the event. If the groom wants nothing, or very little, to do with the planning process, he has to state that directly to me (no word of mouth from the bride) and I write that up on the contract. That way down the road they (or more likely their moms!) don't try to say that I didn't include them in the planning.

I think big weddings can be a waste - so many people think that it has to have all this crazy stuff to be beautiful & elegant. If you have the right venue (like the beautiful stone chapel that Carnation's daughter got married in), you don't need a lot of "stuff" for it. Saving money on flowers & decorations (which sorry to tell you, NO ONE ever remembers) is the first cut I try to make with b&g's on a budget.

One huge no-no for me though... CASH BAR. Tacky-tacky-tacky & I don't care who knows it. If you don't have money (or the desire) to pay for alcohol, then you just don't serve it. Open bars can be great till the bill hits! You wouldn't believe how quickly even a small event can turn an open bar into a second mortgage!

I went to a (Greek) wedding where the reception was in the church hall and the catering company allowed them to supply their own alcohol. That way the $$ was spent in advance, there were not going to be any surprises, and there was a limit. (Although none of it ended up running out, however some very un-coutful [is that a word?] people actually walked out with full bottles of unopened liquor!!!!)