Can you put a price on the "excitement" of a wedding?

I don't think so, but that was the message of the headline of an article that ran in my local newspaper, The Greensboro News and Record, this morning. The same article can be found (with a slightly different headline) at http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080602/BIZ01/806020320. The headline for this story in the News and Record was "Wedding Bells on Sale," with the following subtitle: "Tough Economy Takes Gloss off Wedding Excitement."

The author of this article wrote that many people who are planning their weddings in today's economy are cutting back costs in certain areas because they are facing multiple financial demands, such as mortgages and the increasing cost of living.

Some couples have very little money to spend, and other couples spend a lot of money on their weddings (whether or not they really can afford to spend so much). However, the "excitement" of a wedding shouldn't be attached to its price tag.

In my opinion, it is unfortunate that couples who do not have as much to spend can come to believe that their weddings are any less significant than those with more to spend. Even couples who have bigger budgets need to be careful not to fall into thinking that the value of their wedding is determined only by a dollar amount.

One of my hopes in writing Just Engaged is to help couples remember that the wedding they are planning is an exciting celebration of their love, commitment, and future life together--whatever the cost.