On Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:44:40 -0500, "Gregory Morrow"
> wrote:

>
>
>George Shirley wrote:
>
>> Let's see here. We got married on December 26, 1960. I spent $45.00 (a
>> months rent on my apartment) for flowers for the church, gave the
>> retired priest who conducted the ceremony $20.00 (my FIL sent me $15.00
>> of it back as it was a "retired" priest), wife spent whatever her dress
>> and my Robert Brooks suit cost her (didn't want me to get married in my
>> old Navy uniform), suit I know was $15.00 at the discount store, she
>> made the dress, plus the $10.00 for the marriage license, MIL made the
>> refreshments for the wedding party at her house, probably another
>> $10.00. Probably roughly $100.00 total. I was making $1.05 an hour plus
>> a 1% commission at a Sears store so we didn't have a lot of money. We
>> were very happy being married with family and friends around us though.
>>
>> Someone else will have to do the math to amortize cost of wedding versus
>> 47 years of wedded bliss. <VBG>
>
>
>Well, in 1960 dollars adjusted for inflation, your whole deal would come to
>about $600.00 in today's dollars...

Sounds a little more reasonable than 28 grand. Probably more fun too.

>I grew up in a very rural area, church weddings were the norm, and more
>often than not the reception was held in the church basement, with the
>church ladies pitching in to help.

I've been to a few of those. When I was six my aunt had one that way.
I remember it like it was yesterday. A great time even for a kid.
That marriage didn't last either.

> If you wanted "fancy" you rented out
>the local VFW hall for the reception...it's still that way for a lot of
>folks.

Been to a few of those too. Some were fun, some turned into brawls.
The food was always better in church "cellars"

Lou