Cost of wedding, does this sound ok/normal/ridiculous/rip-off/stop moaning Ian etc?

[Steve.r]

I have been a guest at several weddings in Phils, and the bride can 'shine' even on a small budget, not everyone can afford to feed the extended family and hangers on. Why, just because you are a westerner do they/you expect an expensive wedding that they would normally only dream of.
If your wedding is on a smaller more modest budget, everyone helps and it makes the celebrations far more intimate and memorable. Of course, pay your way to happiness, but I fear you will be making a rod for your own back.

[lastlid]

I have been a guest at several weddings in Phils, and the bride can 'shine' even on a small budget, not everyone can afford to feed the extended family and hangers on. Why, just because you are a westerner do they/you expect an expensive wedding that they would normally only dream of.
If your wedding is on a smaller more modest budget, everyone helps and it makes the celebrations far more intimate and memorable. Of course, pay your way to happiness, but I fear you will be making a rod for your own back.

I think I posted earlier that both my wife's sisters had nice church wedding packages and the weddings/receptions themselves were more lavish compared to ours. Both married Filipinos (one of which is a Filipino OFW). But we had the more lavish honeymoon. It was my wife that wanted it that way. I just went with what she wanted.