reality-check wedding vs reality-TV wedding

In today's age, getting married can be quite extremely stressful.  Couples had to spend a lot of time meeting the coordinator, bargaining with the suppliers, attending requisite marriage seminars, fitting gowns, and the most stressful of all - blowing away all their savings just to turn all these stressors into a 5-hour kodak moment to be remembered by them (and their guests) for the rest of their lives!

Getting married here in the Philippines would cost a couple about PHP300,000 (USD 7,050).  This estimate (a very modest one I must say) covers everything from gowns, to the venue, the church, entertainment, lights & sounds, tux/barongs, flowers, car rental, photo and video coverage, hair & make-up, and food for about 150-200 guests.  Everything at its simplest form.

An extravagant one would probably cost about PHP700,000 to a million pesos (or even more if couples are undeniably rich!).

Oh, did I mention, the couples have to deal with non-wedding-related expenses too.  There's their daily expenses apart from their upcoming wedding - food, transportation, clothes for work & leisure, water bills, electric bills, credit card bills, etc.  You get the point, right?

That's how it is here in the Philippines.  Middle class couples.  Even local celebrity couples!
Total opposite from Hollywood royalties!

Just like the very recent wedding of Kim Kardashian to Kris Humphries.  They may have spent a 20-30 million dollars, but boy, they were able to get some back by earning a whopping $17 Million by having it televised!!!

I thought it was genius!  Haha!  I mean, they definitely made the most of their (well, mostly Kardashian's) popularity there.  I haven't really seen the whole wedding footage.  Just had a glimpse of it. 
I loved how their theme is very elegant.  Black & White.  What could be more elegant than that!

But the challenge probably for the wedding organizer is how to actually keep everything elegant despite the humongous number of guests (500-1000) + TV network crews all over the event place!
Now, here are a couple of photos to tickle your imagination of how grand the wedding was.

Ellen DeGeneres once owned the Tuscan mansion

I see Black & White Curtains!

That is one HUGE & ELEGANT centerpiece cake!
Photo from http://www.resellyourwedding.com/blog

THAT Headpiece is a statement right there!  Way to go, Kim!  Totally you.  Photo from People Magazine

Photo from E! online

There had been comments that KimK's Wedding dress (by THE Vera Wang) is very similar to
Kate Hudson's in the movie BrideWars - by Vera Wang too of course!
Credit: Claire Folger/20th Century Fox; N/C & usmagazine.com

SOOO ADORABLE! CUUUUTIEPIE Mason!

Grandiose, eh?  I guess it's fitting for a ROYAL Hollywood Family.  But what about the Humphries?  I wonder what's their take on this supposedly family/close friends event only but has become a very public one.

Don't get me wrong.  I love weddings.  I am grateful that some celebrities are ok with the idea of sharing their wedding to the whole world.  Viewers may either like it or hate it.  Some would be inspired to have to work hard to have their very own grand wedding for themselves.  Some would settle for what they have and WHO they have. 

Suppose a TV Network offered you $5Million for them to televise your wedding, would you do let them?

Straight from the Universe,
margaret