million dollar wedding giveaway.....

ok, so in the backround at my house since we got home has been oprah and her million dollar wedding giveaway finalists and voting......only 1 couple can win, the the other 2 couples get valaable prizes and go home dejected......if i had the option of having a million dollar wedding, i believe i would 'spend' the money differently than those blockbuster extravaganzas we have read about in print or that have been intimated about on this program.....this from the queen of lowbudget nuptuals......we spent the following on our wedding....the week after my spouse finished grad school......$60 on fabric for my dress (which i finished just hours before the wedding)....wedding cake- donated by my spouse's summer employer during 4 years of college- buskens bakery in hyde park, cincinnati......preacher......no idea...my parents did make a donation to the church general fund that covered the minister, and the lunch basics brought by my parents' sunday school class.......3 amish hams- my parents bought these.........violinist....again- no idea......but she was wonderful.......suit......ernst bought this at an outlet...for maybe $60. and my mother altered it.......assorted mints,napkins, punch, plates......not too much.......the bottom line.....we enjoyed a basic wedding and a basic reception....then spent the money we did not spend on a wedding on 3 weeks in europe........let me repeat....3 weeks in europe.......i have never had this much time off since, unless you count giving birth or recovering from a miscarriage........given those choices...big wedding or 3 weeks in europe....i would still choose 3 weeks in europe........i have attended weddings for friends that were over-the-moon....only to learn weeks/months later that they had already separated....i credit the longevity of our marriage, in part.....to our low-budget beginning.....no silly expectations about what marriage was about.....and a shared determination that the common goal (big honeymoon) was worth attaining through thrift...........of course, one must also give credit to a spouse more than willing to hyphenate.....and also to separate checking accounts.......amen , amen, and amen............