Weddings can be very, very expensive. The average cost of a wedding in the United States is over $26,000.

Weddings usually include food, drinks, music, a venue, a dress, and much more.

Marriages don’t require any of those things.

A wedding is window dressing. A marriage is two people committing their lives to each other.

A wedding is a picture frame. A marriage is the photo inside of it. (tweet this)

Picture frames can be very elaborate or they can be extraordinarily cheap. A frame actually isn’t even necessary. You can place the photo on a shelf or hang it from a paper clip.

I can admire a beautiful frame as much as anyone, but the frame is just there to draw your attention to the photo it contains.

You can spend tens of thousands of dollars on an elaborate wedding, but none of it will matter if you are not marrying the right person.

You can also skip the wedding entirely and go to the courthouse. If you go there with someone who will stand by your side forever, then the frame just doesn’t matter.

When planning your wedding, here is a list of things that are nice, but not necessary:

• Wedding Gown
• Flowers
• Singer
• Bridesmaids
• Groomsman
• Music
• Food
• Drinks

Here is a list of things that are vital:

• An extraordinary partner

Spending $6,000 on flowers won’t ensure that he will stay up all night taking care of the baby when you are exhausted beyond imagination.

Spending $7,000 on a dress doesn’t mean that he will tell you that you are beautiful when you feel anything but.

Spending $26,000 on your wedding doesn’t mean that your marriage will last.

Focus on the picture. Not on the frame.

Is he kind?

If he devoted?

Given any two choices, does he choose you?

These questions are substantially more important than the color of the flowers in your bouquet.

If you choose to marry one day, I will undoubtedly be excited about your wedding day, but I will be far, far, far more excited about the person you choose to spend forever with.

Choose wisely. Focus on the picture, not the frame.

The post The Difference Between a Wedding and a Marriage appeared first on Advice for My Daughter.