FI-ance will have all his credit card debt paid off in about 10 months. This is real cool for several reasons: he will be able to get his own credit card for when we have an emergency and need extra funds, we'll be able to throw more cash at my credit card debt, and, the biggie, we'll actually have more cash available for wedding stuff. Now, thankfully, my Godmommy has offered to pay for my dress and I've joyfully agreed. Not one to take advantage, I'm still sticking to designs that are $200 or less and am pleased to find that it's totally possible to do.
However, part of the reason FI-ance and I haven't been traipsing all over the St. Louis area looking at halls and such is that no matter how cheap (by comparison)a place is, it still seems outrageously expensive. Twenty-three dollars per person for chicken, mashed potatoes, a roll and some salad? Why are you trying to kill me? Or is it that you want me to kill you? Because, seriously? I'm tempted. That's just with the places that do their own catering. To have a reception in a spot that doesn't do their own food would cost at least $1,000. Did you hear that, internet? That's the price WITHOUT FOOD. And I've checked the unusual locations: parks, gardens, museums and planetariums. They want $2,000 to $3,000. That is ridiculous.
We could cut down on the cost by having a smaller gathering. Mostly this would mean not inviting everyone I work with, just the few that I really talk to often. But, this is the thing, I only work with 17 other people. How much bad will would I incite if I invite only, say, 6 of those people? Should I care? Does it matter that the office standard is to invite everybody or nobody from work? Again, do I care? Let's say they all come and bring somebody. That's 34 people that I may or may not want to feed and have get drunk on our dime. What to do, y'all...what to do...
Adding to this financial stress is FI-ance's (I think unfounded) irritation over his folks not offering to help us out. Let me explain the situation. About four years ago FI-ance had a job that literally drove him crazy - to the point where he needed to be medicated into a semblance of normalcy. He quit, because he couldn't take it anymore, without any other job prospects and no idea what to do next. Not wanting to go back into the same field (he was a journalist) and with little of his own savings he moved back in with his folks and went back to school. His folks paid for one year of college and took care of his bills as he went back to school and worked odd jobs here and there for spending money.
Now, I've explained to FI-ance that I think there are several reasons why he shouldn't get pissed at his peeps for not offering financial assistance: they took him in and paid for some schooling and all his bills while he figured himself out, maybe they haven't gotten around to it yet, he's 36 and I'm 32 - it's not their fault we don't have savings for this wedding thing, and, he has no idea what they have for retirement. It's entirely possible that they planned for 1 wedding and 1 college stint for each kid, so that when FI-ance went to school a second time it used up whatever wedding fund they may have had for him.
I think this all sounds perfectly reasonable, but FI-ance is still pissed that they haven't offered. He's all, "But I had a scholarship the first time around and they hardly had to pay anything and they asked me to move in with them when I went back to school and then held it over my head and I still owe them from that so aren't we even since they're not giving us money now?" What? To me, all that matters is that they've offered hands-on help with the planning, something my mom hasn't done.
Speaking of that. I know she's ultra preoccupied with taking care of my Grandmother, but she really doesn't seem interested in this wedding stuff at all. Thank God I'm not any more girly about it than I currently am or I'd be seriously hurt by her causualness. As it is, it hurts a bit anyway. For a few days I thought I'd found a dress on ebay. I told her and she didn't even ask what it looked like. She just goes "Oh, so what if you lose weight?" She hasn't asked to see dress ideas or offered to call wedding/reception sites. I brought her over to the house a couple of weekends ago and showed her the dress options I've gotten so far, even the ones she said she liked she didn't seem happy about.
Someone at work that I talked to about this mentioned that since mom got divorced herself she may be nervous about the whole idea. It's a good point, and something that I hadn't thought of, but all I really want is for her to show some interest. I don't think that's too much.
I've handled all this by registering at Target, Home Depot, Macy's and JC Penney and shopping without consequence. My goal now is to register wherever they give you free stuff for registering. The search is on.
