It's Wedding Season Again!

by Paul Morrone

This year, not much unlike the past few, brings another summer full weddings for Jill and I. By the end of 2016 we will have attended 6 weddings, and next year is shaping up to look like there will be at least another 6, including my sister’s in November of 2017. Even more surprising is that all but one of the weddings we are going to are on the ocean, which is certainly not a bad thing and makes for some fantastic pictures. From the dramatic scenery of the Bass Rocks in Gloucester, MA to the white sandy beaches of Englewood, FL, I’ll get my fair share of sun, sand and sweat while sipping down cocktails with some of my closest friends and family. Needless to say, free time has been hard to find this summer (all at the expense of my golf game, unfortunately).

Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good wedding. There’s nothing better than a last hoorah to ‘Shout!’ before the band packs it in for the night, and I always look forward to late night snacks at the hotel bar. But it is a full-time job, and you certainly need a full-time job to be able to pay for everything that goes along with it. Of course I start thinking about this late one night and it woke up the numbers nerd in me as to thinking as to what it really costs to go to a wedding. Personal experience aside, I figured I’d go to Google for a deeper understanding and found a rather interesting article. According to theeverygirl.com (http://theeverygirl.com/the-cost-of-being-a-wedding-guest) and their research from American Express, the average guest spends $673 on every wedding that they attend.

And today, it’s not just the wedding. It’s the engagement party or the shower or the stag (for those of us in CT) or the bachelor/bachelorette party, or (a combination of all of them!) well, you get the picture. I guess when I think about it, I’m either a really good friend or a sucker for putting myself through all of this. Either way, I’m honored just to be a part of such a special occasion for so many people and at the very least I know I’m going to have fun in the process. Congratulations to all of my friends and family that will be calling 2016 the first year of the rest of their lives!