DEAR ABBY: Thank you for setting "Singing the Wedding Bell Blues" straight. She's the young woman who was miffed because her parents offered her "only" $7,000 to spend on her wedding when she wanted four times that amount. How dare she assume that her parents are financially responsible! They do not "owe" her anything.
I am a wedding coordinator and have been involved in many weddings where the bride and groom had a limited budget. They were some of the most beautiful and romantic weddings I've seen. I have also done a wedding where the parents spent $100,000 to impress 2,000 people. That couple isn't any more married than a couple who spends very little.
"Singing" should wake up and rethink her plans. Allow me to offer a few suggestions:
(1) Consider having her wedding at a bed-and-breakfast or other facility that provides everything needed for a wonderful event.
(2) Have a double ceremony with her brother. (They have the same family members and probably share some of the same friends.)
(3) Change the wedding date so she and her fiance have more time to save for the splashy wedding of their dreams.
(4) Hire a wedding coordinator who will help her stay within a budget.
Abby, even if this bride-elect is a 4.0 graduate, she's showing neither maturity nor common sense, not to mention gratitude for the $7,000 her parents have offered. She is more concerned about having a wedding than a marriage, and that is sad. -- KATHY IN ATLANTA
DEAR KATHY: Mail poured in after that young woman's letter appeared. While none of the other letters came from professional wedding planners, all of it came from readers shocked by "Singing's" attitude of entitlement. Read on:
DEAR ABBY: I commend you for your response to "Singing the Wedding Bell Blues." If I were writing your column, I might have chosen a few four-letter words to emphasize the selfish immaturity displayed by those young adults. Keep shooting straight. -- DOING ALL I CAN -- AND THAT'S ALL, OKLAHOMA CITY