Where does it all come from?

A guest post borrowed from my friend Tracy's Blog (Celebride). Enjoy!

Where does it all come from?

POSTED  BY TRACYPIETT

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In the past two years, I have been to approximately fifteen weddings. It wasn't until last summer that I figured out what an impact they (and everything related to them) have slowly but surely come front and centre in my social outings.
I love weddings- I really do. What could be better than watching two people you know and love dearly stand in front of friends and family and promise to commit themselves to each other for life? There is nothing so romantic. (And of course, the best part is watching the groom see the bride for the first time that day and realizing how lucky he is to marry the most beautiful woman- well, he probably already knows it but still… Best. Moment. Ever.)
However, with all this socializing and enjoyment of the special day between two people you know, comes the expense of it. No, I am not complaining, I am simply reinforcing a point. Having experienced this now for a couple of years, I think I would advise most 20-something year olds to start up a savings account for the monster expense we call “wedding”.
Let’s start basic… If you’re invited to a wedding, you are obviously going to buy a gift. In this day and age, in my demographic, you can expect that to be between $150 and $200 per couple. I know some other cities and cultures where this would sound cheap, but I am speaking from personal experience.
Okay, gift is covered. Now, how close are you to the bride and groom? You can also expect to be invited to a bridal shower ($50), so while you’re shopping for that gift you might as well buy the wedding gift and save yourself some time.
Are you in the wedding? That opens a new can of worms.
Hair ($50)
Makeup ($25)
Nails ($30)
Outfit (anywhere from $100 – $300)
Shoes ($70)
Jewelry($50)
Bachelor/bachelorette parties- is it a one-night thing or a weekend away? This could range between $100 – $1500
…and depending where the wedding is, you might have to pay for accommodations ($200) or gas to drive there and back.
This is all in consideration of one wedding. And it all happens within approximately six months of each other.
Also, where I come from, there’s these things called Buck n’ Does or Stag n’ Does, Jack n’ Jills, etc. etc. Yep, where I come from, we find weddings to be a community thing- everyone would like to help out the bride and groom and send them into marriage smiling. Buck n Doe season usually starts in the spring and goes into May or June, and can expect one every weekend. So, that’s paying $10 for admission, and maybe six drink tickets for $20 (thank goodness I’m a girl- my fiancé’s expenses are much higher). Every. Single. Weekend.
All I am saying is, when you look at your bank account and wonder where all of your money has gone, think back to May- when that Buck n’ Doe season started and count your way up to October. When you look at it in lump sum, as I just did, you might be astonished. I think it’s better to be ignorant in this area.
And then one day, you decide to get married and begin a whole new savings account… Where am I supposed to be finding this money?! 
Yep, us in our 20s, we sure love to celebrate marriage!

Thanks to Tracy for letting us borrow her thoughts , I'm sure we'll be seeing more of her between now and her big day! :)

Wedding Guest Faux Pas.

A wedding can easily become the social event of the season so if you're lucky enough to be invited to share in a couple’s Big Day here are our Top Five Rules of what NOT to do as a guest at someone’s wedding:

1.       Send out a late RSVP - There are dates on these things for a reason people, it’s so the Bride and Groom will have lots of time to sit down and tackle the dreaded task of designing a seating chart. Try to do them the courtesy of letting them know whether you're coming or not in a timely manner.

2.       Bring an uninvited “Plus-One” -  The invitation will be addressed (that’s how it got to you in the first place) if you are married it will say To: Mr. & Mrs., if you are not it may say To: Your name and Guest.  And if you don’t mark that you're bringing a date then don't bring a date. Going back to the seating chart thing it can give both the bride and the caterer headache.  Also if you have children and their names aren't on the invitation don’t bring them. Hire a babysitter and enjoy your night off ;)

3.       Wear White - This is a huge pet peeve of mine, a guest wearing white to a wedding is not acceptable. The Bride wears white. You don’t. It’s that simple. 

4.       Skip the Ceremony and go to the Reception – First of all that’s really rude, secondly ceremonies are typically 15 minutes to max an hour long, you really can't sit still for that long? Pretty soon you'll be wining and dining on the Bride and Groom’s dime anyway so do them the favor of attending the ceremony you'll be celebrating afterward.

5.       Going nuts on an Open Bar – You're there to party, we get that, but going way overboard on the open bar isn't cool. You're going to end up being “that guy” totally plastered and grinding on the Groom’s Granny and yelling ‘”shots, shots, shots, shots” along with LMFAO. If the videographer manages to miss this, there’s no way somebody’s smart phone won’t be uploading it to Facebook a few minutes later, so even if you're so drunk you won't remember, there will be proof following you around for years to come.  I’d like to add to this one that if you order a drink, enjoy it. The Bride and Groom are paying for every shot poured and beer cracked so don't be wasteful.