Educational Wedding

This morning, while listening to The Today Show, I heard a tidbit that provoked some serious thought about weddings and how much the average couple spends ($30,000 for wedding, reception and honeymoon, on average).

Our TV experts were pointing out that some younger people are foregoing the big wedding concept so that they can pay for an education. Now, if that's true, hurrah! It's hands-down a fact that a college education will, over the course of a lifetime, help a person earn more than a million dollars more than a high school grad. Weddings don't pay out that kind of mullah (unless someone marries a millionaire who isn't going into debt through bad financial decisions).

No, these folks had it right. If it's a choice between spending and spending and spending to have a white dress day or an education, the best choice is the latter. Find a way to have a debt free wedding on a budget you can afford and hit the books. That's the kind of wedding that will pay back a thousand-fold in the years ahead.