It’s wedding season again and more and more couples in Lebanon are choosing to wed outside Lebanon for some reason. Last year I got a couple of invites for weddings abroad and this year I already have 3 weddings to attend but I probably won’t end up going to any because 1) my wife just delivered and it’s too soon to travel, 2) I’d rather get the couple an expensive wedding gift than pay for tickets and a hotel stay and visa fees of course to attend a wedding and 3) because none of the couples are close friends or family members. Some people might also argue that couples getting married outside should pay for our travel expenses if they really want us to be there, and a funny video on this matter went viral ten days ago but I don’t agree with it. To begin with, the fact that Lebanon is a Third World country doesn’t mean people can’t get married outside and I wish people would stop criticizing other people’s weddings. Whether it’s a fancy wedding, an average wedding in an outdoor venue, a wedding with a 45 minute zaffé or an indoor wedding with loud music and nasty food, a wedding is the happiest day in the life of a couple and we should respect that. If the couple decided to spend $10,000 or $2,000,000 on their wedding, this is their business and not ours. If you are too annoyed by weddings, simply don’t attend them.
Going back to the couples getting married abroad, I’ve had that discussion once with a friend of mine and we even did the financials and it actually makes a lot of sense for a Lebanese couple to go for that option especially when they are forced to have a big wedding (300+ people). Getting married in Greece or Cyprus or anywhere in Europe is much cheaper than having a big wedding in Lebanon, even if the couple is planning to cover trip expenses for the close family and few selected friends. Therefore, it’s not just about pretending to be fancy or cool abroad, but it’s a smart move financially speaking, and even if the couple just wants to sound cool, it’s their decision and we should respect it.
As far as fancy weddings are concerned, the amount of money a couple wishes to spend on their wedding is none of our business. If a bride wants to pay $100,000 for her wedding dress and have a 3-day wedding and can afford it, then good for her. If I were a millionaire, I would have probably invited all my friends and family to a weekend abroad and donated all the wedding gifts to charity.
All in all, what I’m trying to say is that a wedding is a very special day for a couple and we as friends or family members should be happy for the couple and make the best out of it, even if it’s the most horrible wedding ever. The only exception is when the couple is planning to destroy a Cedars forest to build their wedding venue, or set a forest on fire because of their fireworks.
PS: Aside from the wedding thing, the velfie guy has some hilarious videos, like the Kale/Quinoa one which is very true.