The Big (Expensive) Day

A recent study suggested that the average wedding costs upwards of $29,000. Even Jim and Pam of NBC's The Office discussed a quickie courthouse wedding to save money and trouble.

You know the recession is really hitting home when America's favorite fictional couple are feeling the crunch. Now that jobs are scarce and people are tightening their belts, is the traditional wedding the next victim of the economic downturn?

According to the New York Times, the elopement business is booming--in part because people are trying to be more practical during a recession and in part because there is a growing backlash against the big, bloated wedding and the harried groom and Bridezilla it can create. Eloping gives couples a chance to save the money they might have spent on hors d'oeuvres and apple-tinis for Aunt Joann and spend it instead on a romantic honeymoon, a down payment for a house or--more realistically--paying down some debt.

How did weddings get so expensive in the first place? Don't just blame it on the bride; the wedding industry succeeds in convincing brides and grooms that they are somehow cheating themselves by not opting for the top of the line options across the board. While planning our wedding last year, my husband and I met with one florist who had prepared a sample $600 arrangement made entirely of orchids. When I said that I would prefer a simpler flower, she said, "Oh, pinching pennies, huh? I don't really do arrangements with cheap flowers."

(A great read about the ugly side of the wedding industry is One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding. I recommend it for all brides to be, and you can save 25% on it with this Borders coupon.)

Are these the only choices: elopement or extravagance?

Many brides and grooms have found ways to save money without scrimping on style. Since the economic downturn began last year, brides and grooms have been more thoughtful about spending their wedding dollars. An article on MSNBC.com describes wedding industry professionals--cake makers, dress retailers, and more--finding that people around the country are scaling down. Instead of an extravagant, tiered cake, couples are choosing Styrofoam cakes for show and then serving sheet cake to guests. ABC News wrote about a young couple who pulled off a $20,000 wedding for only $6,000 by avoiding common pitfalls and using online coupons (ahem).

At my own wedding, we saved thousands by having a friend DJ and opting to skip the passed appetizers.

It's clear the big, traditional weddings we have become so accustomed to aren't going anywhere. Even our TV love-birds, Jim and Pam, decided against going the courthouse route. Yet eloping allows couples with fewer bills to pay when their one year anniversary rolls around.

What's your idea of a wedding day that marries romance with practicality?