Weddings abroad or SUVs - Poll?

Tim Robbins

In our recent boom economy. We bought and did many things that we just couldn't afford in pre-boom times.

Two things that really stand out to be are SUVs and Weddings abroad. There are arguments for and against both. People have a right to drive what they want, they have a right to pay more money they find more comfortable. But there's something really arrogant and annoying about them.

Similarly, people have a right to get married where they want and do what they want. It's THEIR day. So they keep saying. Wedding's abroad may in some cases be cheaper for the couple, but they are usually more expensive for the guests. There seems to be a real 'Keeping up with the Jones' about it. Couple A goes to Portugal, Couple goes to Spain, so Couple C has to go to Italy. In some cases, they even think they are giving people holidays they otherwise wouldn't have.

Now, if they like these places so much, why not go and live there? If home's not good enough, special enough, romantic enough and there's something much much much better about these places, why not be consistent and live there.

The bottom line is the Wedding abroad / SUV thing aren't possible unless people have a lot of cash.

You don't see German's flying to Ireland, because they want to get married in an Irish Castle. Similarly in Italy, you don't usually see people driving SUVs.

So my question is which did you find more annoying and why?

Dades

Tim Robbins wrote: »

You don't see German's flying to Ireland, because they want to get married in an Irish Castle.

Plenty of people come over to Ireland to get married. I don't know where you get the impression they don't.

There are other factors for Irish people getting married abroad...
- They can be more-or-less guaranteed good weather, depending on where they go.
- They can keep the guest list down. Every old auntie twice removed isn't going to fly over for it - only the people that consider themselves close enough. Friends of mine are getting married in Lisbon this Summer and it was a great excuse for me and the missis to book some time away.
- Cost (to the bride & groom). You got married recently so you know the prices. Ireland is stupidly expensive and there is an mentality that if you don't pay top dollar you're not doing it right.

SUVs? Meh. They only piss me off when they're driven by people who can't handle them. And that would go for any vehicle tbh.

Tim Robbins

Dades wrote: »

- They can keep the guest list down. Every old auntie twice removed isn't going to fly over for it - only the people that consider themselves close enough. Friends of mine are getting married in Lisbon this Summer and it was a great excuse for me and the missis to book some time away.

Would you not just go to Lisbon (or just get away) anyway if you wanted to go. Why do you need a "great excuse"?

Dades

Human nature, perhaps? Sometimes you need a shove to get organised. That and the fact that a dozen close friends will all be in a city I've never been to and would never have thought to go to.

I would have got married abroad myself had the missis sanctioned it. Anything to avoid the brouhaha that comes with rip-off, relative-packed Irish weddings.

Bottle_of_Smoke

With Dades on the weddings. My uncle got married in San Sabastian(now his wife does come from there) and it was much cheaper. Sure the guests had to pay but if they used that as their foreign holiday for the year (where they get tro share it with lots of old friends without pressure to do so) its a far better alternative.

SUVs annoy me alright. Though so would someone buying any unneccesary big car really

Tim Robbins

Dades wrote: »

Human nature, perhaps? Sometimes you need a shove to get organised. That and the fact that a dozen close friends will all be in a city I've never been to and would never have thought to go to.

I would have got married abroad myself had the missis sanctioned it. Anything to avoid the brouhaha that comes with rip-off, relative-packed Irish weddings.

It really is a shame that a couple have to pay so much for a Wedding here. I respect your point about the shovel bit and it is perhaps a good way of putting it, but it's probably the bit I don't like about it. As I sse it as an expensive shovel, if you know what I mean.

Cheers.

thebman

Weddings abroad can be cheaper, you would be foolish to do it otherwise as it is a lot more hassle to organise IMO.

SUV's are fine as long as they are used off road at some point for an actual purpose (recreational or job related). Although it is hard to see any real justified recreational use that a decent regular car couldn't do.

SUV's annoy me because they even some of the car companies didn't want to make them and just did so because people would buy them and they couldn't not enter a market with that much money in it so the shareholders basically insisted that they enter the market.

They get terrrible MPG especially in start-stop traffic and are much more difficult to park than a city car and still get used in cities for some bizarre reason particularly on the school run.

They also have this mythical safety record. They aren't that safe. In many cases, they are less safe than a regular road car built properly. Many have done very poorly on the Euro NCAP crash tests. There was one in particular which in a 30MPH crash, the clutch went up to about where the drivers kneecap would be and they reckoned it would leave the person permanantly unable to use that leg. At 30MPH! On the other side of the coin, you have the Renaults which Top Gear actually crashed with a stunt driver and he was able to open the door and get out because the car was so safe.

I honestly can't see why you'd buy an SUV other than as a vulgar status symbol. The most annoying vehicles on the road and many can't even handle off road because of their poor ride heights! :mad:

Went for SUV's.

Regarding Weddings abroad, they're only expensive if you're expecting to host a large number of people. If you're doing a small family thing (30-40 guests) then it can be quite reasonable.

I'm getting married (next year), and we've decided to get married in her country (China/HK), and just get the state signing here in Ireland. My immediate family are all fine to fly out to China, since the flights aren't terribly expensive, and the cost of the actual wedding is ridiculously cheaper than Ireland. Throw in the much lower costs of food, lodgings, rented cars etc, and a foreign wedding came out miles ahead.

Its worth noting that I don't have that many close friends left in Ireland anymore. So it was only family connections that were a problem equation, but after talking to them, they're all thrilled to get the chance at seeing China, and a "traditional" chinese wedding. (Although I'm still refusing to sing)

Joey the lips

i am of 2 seperate opinions on this and for my second I know I will be shot but I am not baseing this on publicity I am basing it on what I saw

1st: People that got married abroad wanted the SUV and the marriage. They combined the marriage and honeymoon together and brought along a couple of friends.... Saved on a bigh reception. All is cheaper abroad as well. so when they came back got the attic conversion and the suv.

2nd I have noticed a lot of people got married abroad cause they do not want to be legally married in this country. Why? Cuase they are drawing loan parents and living with fella's

So I picked the married and SUV.

Tim Robbins

I wonder which has the higher Carbon footprint?

Joey the lips wrote: »

2nd I have noticed a lot of people got married abroad cause they do not want to be legally married in this country. Why? Cuase they are drawing loan parents and living with fella's

What a scam.

Dades

Tim Robbins wrote: »

I wonder which have the higher Carbon footprint?

Interesting point...

I wonder how many Prius-driving couples got married abroad and had 50 people weighing down an Airbus!

Tim Robbins

Dades wrote: »

Interesting point...

I wonder how many Prius-driving couples got married abroad and had 50 people weighing down an Airbus!

Ha.