by Krystle Hernandez

Created on: April 23, 2009

Weddings are frequently heralded as being one of "the most important milestones" in an individual's life. Traditionally, when a person got married, he or she was "settling down" and transitioning from adolescence into adulthood. Although most individuals today are certainly financially and emotionally independent long before their weddings, this big day is still a rather remarkable milestone marking the transition from one phase of life (and one kind of lifestyle) to another.

Not surprisingly, many individuals want to celebrate this momentous occasion in their lives with their closest friends and family members. However, in the past several decades, the average cost of a wedding has skyrocketed to a figure that hovers somewhere around $25-$30,000! With that kind of money, you could buy a luxury car or even have a pretty hefty down payment for a house!

With so many people spending such exorbitant amounts of money on what seem like trifles (little details concerning a particular shade of pink), it is important that we take a step back and ask ourselves: Are big weddings worth the cost?

Financial costs.

As I mentioned, big weddings are generally expensive. No matter how much you try to cut costs here and there, the reality is that the more guests you invite to your event, the more you're going to have to shell out overall. Consequently, many couples find themselves depleting their savings or going into debt just to have a "dream wedding."

Practically speaking, the notion that a couple should take out a loan to put on an event (however fabulous or life-altering) is generally not advisable. You may remember what you looked like on your wedding or how you felt, but what you are most likely to remember is the big fat bill that you had to pay (and probably spent years paying), not how fabulous the menu was or the exact color of your table linens.

Instead, finance-savvy couples could invest (and wisely so) in a home in which to raise their future family. And, they may even have some cash left over to put a down payment on a new car or take a fabulous honeymoon with no expenses spared. For some couples, the idea of spending three weeks in the Parisian countryside eating exquisite pastries and drinking the finest wines (by themselves) is far more appealing than feeding 250 people, many of whom they may not even know or really care all too much about in the first place.

Emotional costs.

When it comes to weddings, individuals frequently overlook the emotional costs involved with

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