Wedding vs. Marriage

One of my husband's best friends is planning a wedding for May. He had stopped by today to borrow some of the items we had used at our wedding and you could just see the nervous tension in his face. I had forgotten all the stress (and expense) of planning a "perfect" wedding. It's amazing how many details go into a wedding and even more amazing how much each of those details cost! I know it is easy to go overboard with spending, but there are so few days in one's life so worthy of an extragavant celebration. I tried to encourage him to not allow the cost to ruin a joyous occasion. I am not so sure he was convinced! I truly think the expense is justified in most circumstances if you remain focused on the MARRIAGE and remember the wedding is just a way to involve family & friends in celebrating the MARRIAGE.