Getting married is becoming more and more expensive: Russian newlyweds have figured out how to receive gifts without refreshments

Indian summer is traditionally a favorite time for Russians to walk down the aisle. But in recent years, not only the wedding banquet and travel have become more expensive, but even basic but memorable things for which lovers were willing to sacrifice crowds of guests and exotic trips.

Let’s find out what exactly has become more expensive, and how our youth intends to get out of the situation – love and starting a family have not been canceled!

According to wedding agents and event planners, the tendency to abandon lavish wedding banquets for the entire family “got viral” among Russian couples a dozen years ago.

“Instead of spending on a crowd of guests, the newlyweds chose the opportunity not to skimp on joys for just two, but exquisite ones,” says Anna, an employee of a wedding agency, which employed 11 people before the pandemic, and now there are only two left. – In order not to save, say, on dinner for two on the roof of an elite metropolitan restaurant on a warm September evening. Or on exclusive rings – engagement and wedding rings. And on bouquets, of course. It would be better if there were no guests at all, but the flowers would be like a star’s – that’s what many brides reasoned. But now this “matchmaking” set has skyrocketed in price so much that our agency is going under. Newlyweds don’t order anything at all. Not only feasts and travel, but even romantic dinners and flash mobs with the presentation of a ring.

Inexorable statistics, alas, confirm: romance has risen in price by an average of 2.6 times over the last ten years. According to the results of an analysis of Rosstat data on “wedding” expenses of Russians, the simplest “set” for a marriage proposal in the form of a ring, a bouquet of flowers and dinner for two in September 2012 cost approximately 12.88 thousand rubles, and today 33.4 thousand rubles.

“This means the most inexpensive option – a simple smooth gold ring from the registry office catalog, five roses and dinner without alcohol in an average establishment, if we talk about the capital,” says Oleg, a marketer specializing in wedding-related products. – Although in the regions today all this can be even more expensive. And if there is champagne for dinner and a diamond cut on the ring, then the stakes are raised.

How do today’s couples who want to become a legitimate unit of society get out of this situation? It turns out that some of them surprise even those who considered themselves “wedding revolutionaries” 10 years ago.

“I got married for the second time 10 years ago, my daughter was 13 then,” shares Victoria from Moscow. “I then refused a celebration in a restaurant and a wedding dress in exchange for an exclusive ring, for which my fiancé flew specially to Paris. And I considered myself very progressive, although I was already 40+, and this was not my first marriage. And today, 10 years later, my daughter got married. And she, like her fiancé, don’t want anything at all – no restaurant with guests, no rings, no dress, no travel. I try to understand, but I can’t. Still, we are brought up in certain wedding traditions. It’s understandable when young people refuse dolls on the hood or pigeons in the registry office and other “grandmother’s gadgets” that seem funny to them. But how can you not notice it at all?

– Maybe they just don’t have money?

– They may not have it. But my husband and I, my daughter’s own father, and the groom’s parents all offer everything. Everyone has savings, and everyone is ready to spend it on a wedding, like people, because they believe that the beginning of family life should be celebrated, this is our tradition. Without a celebration, for our generation it’s like going to prom in jeans. You can find what you can afford, or sew it yourself, but the outfit for this day should not be ordinary, everyday. This is all intended to ensure that an important day in life is remembered for a long time.

By the way, psychologists agree with this opinion: by and large, treats, outfits, bouquets, guests, gifts, music and everything else are conceived precisely in order to “mark” this event in one’s own memory as one of the most significant in life.

“Yes, these are rituals, but sometimes refusing them is dangerous, as it encourages you to reject other attitudes,” says psychologist Gayane Aslanyan. – Since it is possible without a wedding, then there is no need to celebrate the child’s christening, children’s birthdays, anniversaries of older family members, as well as family holidays. But all this was invented a long time ago, not so much to throw away money and have fun, but to strengthen family, traditions, such holidays are an opportunity to get together and once again remember that you and your relatives have common roots. It seems to me that at today’s pace of life, communication on the Internet and in megacities, where people do not know the name of their nearest neighbor, this is especially important. And guests are also wedding gifts, which often turn out to be an important help in the early stages of family life.

And here is what those in question responded to all the arguments: 23-year-old bride Arina and her 27-year-old groom Nikita, web designers, spoke on behalf of their getting married peers.

– We thought and thought about how we could do without a mass meal for fifty people, but at the same time receive wedding gifts, and we came up with an idea! But we are only talking about close friends and relatives who are ready to congratulate us in any format. We will send them a specially developed online quiz based on the roulette principle, where each answer, like in a casino, costs a certain amount. Everything lost goes to the young family. But we will not have losers. Firstly, the game itself is very cool, exclusive, we wrote it ourselves from scratch. And secondly, we give everyone who completed our online wedding game to the end an individual clip as a souvenir, where the photographs of this person and ours will be mixed, such as a wedding mix. And no food or toast.