Labor Day Weekend Wedding

I never finished the story about my trip up to Oregon. I got side tracked by a visit from my daughter and her two kids. They arrived last Thursday and won't be going back to Phoenix until Monday. We have a family wedding on Sunday at Donald Trump's place in Palos Verdes. He built a golf course on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and with it, a beautiful club house, restaurant and banquet facilities. My sister Linda's middle child is getting married there in front of about 250 guests. The whole family has talked of little else since they announced their plans last Labor Day Weekend. Dresses, shoes, hair styles, colors, flowers, gifts, parties, showers, and honeymoon plans, not to mention the guesstimate of the cost of all of the above has been the focus for this family.

The mother-of-the-bride gave the kids $30,000 and told them they could do with it what they wanted. I had hoped they would buy a house but Maggie (the bride) wants the fairy tale wedding she dreamed about as a young girl. I've heard that my nephew has added another $20,000 to make sure his bride gets what she wants. My sister and brother-in-law have added another $10,000 for the rehearsal dinner, bar tab and honeymoon.

I think that spending that kind of money for one day out of your life is a collosal waste of money...but I'm much more practical about those things. I'd rather buy a vacation home or flip a house.