Those getting married this summer and fall are heavy into the planning stage. With the average cost of a wedding in the Akron area at $27,000, it takes a lot of preparation and cool heads to prepare a budget.
Let me repeat that — $27,000. That’s more money than some of our neighbors make in a year’s time and less than many of us have in school debt.
Certainly parents want to give their children a real-life fairy tale, but at what cost? A second mortgage or a second job? But then celebrating a son or daughter’s nuptials might be worth re-mortgaging your home. Because so many are now forgoing marriage, 40 percent of babies born today are to single moms. And while many can afford it, many others depend on public assistance to raise their children.
So when someone wants to repeat some wedding vows, perhaps we should all pitch in with a big donation pot to help pay for at least a small celebration.
But $27,000? In some parts of Akron that could buy a fixer-upper. Homeless shelters and outreach ministries could do a lot of good with that kind of cash. Those saddled with medical bills sure would appreciate that kind of money. And there’s a chance that the kids would rather have a wedding on the cheap and a check instead of a fancy affair.
A mini quiz
Think about the most memorable wedding you’ve attended (excluding your own) that was affordable. For me, it was a wedding and reception at a rural church. The family worked countless hours making 1,000 origami swans that hung from the ceiling of the church reception hall.
We battled the snow, ice and subzero temperatures to get there, and relatives cooked quite a spread. But what I remember most was the chatter about the soup and how guests repeatedly said it warmed their bodies and their souls. Under dimmed lights, a harpist and flautist sat in the corner softly serenading the 100 or so men, women and children. There were no drunks or chicken dances. It was perfectly eloquent and beautiful.
The point is — maybe we don’t have to spend so much. What we have left, we could help someone who needs money every day — not just one day.
A few years ago, Celebration Church in Akron made headlines by offering free weddings to those who couldn’t afford one.
The church’s senior pastor, the Rev. Jeff Wade, came up with the idea after reading a story about brides and grooms struggling to pay for weddings. So in 2010 and 2011, the church married 84 couples — free. Though a reception is not included, volunteers, and those in the wedding industry, donated things like rings, salon services, photos and flowers. A cake was donated for the couple to take home.
The weddings took about a week of work, but the coordinating of services and mentoring sessions, which are required before Wade will marry them, was exhausting — so the church decided to take a break in 2012. But beginning the weekend of May 31 and June 1, the ceremonies will return.
“We decided to start the weddings back because we felt we were helping families by offering the service,” Wade said, noting that the average couple was 30-something, had two or three children and had lived together for up to nine years.
“I hope that by helping make church weddings more accessible, we are helping to form more solid marriages by getting God back into marriages and homes,” he said.
Those who can’t afford to pay for a wedding should call the church at 330-762-7458.
Maybe that donation pot could be installed outside the church to help defray some of the costs. Wonder how long it would take to raise $27,000.
Kim Hone-McMahan can be reached at 330-996-3742 or kmcmahan@thebeaconjournal.com.