That's the advice I give to anyone contemplating marriage. A wedding is an event that's over in a few hours (counting the reception). One hopes a marriage will last a lifetime. Which seems more reasonable to plan extensively?

While I have no problem with people spending their own money as they see fit, one would hope they'd at least be reasonable about things. In the case of your future brother-in-law, those tens of thousands of dollars could've been a nice down payment on a home, paid off whatever debts they might have, or perhaps paid for a good car. Instead, it'll be blown on a fantasy that'll be over long before the bills are paid. I only hope they aren't going into debt to pay for their fantasy. That would be truly absurd.

Only 1 photo was taken of us after our wedding. Man, we were a pitiful looking couple! We got married on a Friday afternoon after class and were back in class the following Monday. Our total monthly income for the first couple months of married life was about $400. Funny how that didn't matter at the time.

Of course, it hasn't always been smooth sailing. It sounds like I've got to do some damage control this afternoon. When I kissed her this morning and wished her a happy anniversary, she said, "You know, you've really ticked me off for the past couple days." I'm not certain what I did (or didn't do), but it sounds like I'll be stopping at the jewelry store on the way home.