Wedding debt: Spain's bridal loan illusion
43,000 euros of debt for a wedding, paid with a severance package. The bridal loan as a cultural norm in crisis-era Spain. Data and analysis.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
43,000 euros of debt for one wedding day: portrait of a Spain that didn't learn
A couple spent 43,000 euros on their wedding — paid with the groom's severance package. Another, with a "cheap" budget of 10,000 euros, planned to take out a loan. These are not isolated cases: in the midst of 2010, with the crisis already entrenched, bride forums were buzzing with the idea of going into debt for the perfect day.
The "wedding loan" as a cultural norm
The thread that started with the question "Are you going to ask for a loan?" exposed an uncomfortable reality. For many couples, the wedding was not an expense to be saved for, but an investment to be financed. "I don't want to worry about anything that day, we'll ask for a loan and that's it," summarized one user. The average cost of the banquet for 120 guests was around 20,000 euros, and the cheapest dress, 1,000 euros. The logic of "because I'm worth it" prevailed over domestic arithmetic.
Dizzying budgets and 490-euro butterflies
The numbers being handled were chilling: an Excel budget detailed 43,000 euros in items the bride considered "essential." Another couple, after receiving 18,000 euros in severance pay, decided to "invest" it in the banquet. Extravagances included releasing butterflies (from 155 euros for 5 specimens to 490 euros for 70), 1.60-euro watches for guests, and cake toppers for 1,200 dollars. The wedding industry had turned marriage into a consumer showcase.
The guest, the big payer
While the bride and groom went into debt, the guests assumed their own bill: suit, envelope with money (gifts of objects were no longer given), bachelor/bachelorette parties and travel could add up to 800 euros per person. "Blowing that in the middle of a crisis is the most immoral dirty trick that exists," complained one affected person. Social pressure to keep up appearances dragged in the entire circle.
Sensible alternatives that confirm the rule
Faced with the waste, some voices defended the opposite. A user married in Las Vegas for 200 dollars recounted: "Limousine, famous chapel, photos and ceremony recorded on video: all included." Others opted for a civil ceremony with 7 guests and food at 30 euros per head. "I wouldn't spend 700 euros on a dress that looks like it's from the flea market," joked one participant. The gap between the "bubble spender" who spent without measure and the "tightwad" who saved was a reflection of the social fracture of the time.
The reckoning comes with the years
The passage of time was not kind to those who went into debt. Years later, the thread resurfaced with premonitory comments: "By now the forum member will have been divorced and abused for about 7 years." Another predicted the triple somersault: mortgage, alimony and the wedding loan still in force. The dream wedding had become a financial burden.
Is it worth starting a life together with 43,000 euros of debt for a single day? Those who did it already have the answer, though it's probably not the one they expected.
Related debates on the forum
A couple spent 43,000 euros on their wedding — paid with the groom's severance package. Another, with a "cheap" budget of 10,000 euros, planned to take out a loan. These are not isolated cases: in the midst of 2010, with the crisis already entrenched, bride forums were buzzing with the idea of going into debt for the perfect day.
The "wedding loan" as a cultural norm
The thread that started with the question "Are you going to ask for a loan?" exposed an uncomfortable reality. For many couples, the wedding was not an expense to be saved for, but an investment to be financed. "I don't want to worry about anything that day, we'll ask for a loan and that's it," summarized one user. The average cost of the banquet for 120 guests was around 20,000 euros, and the cheapest dress, 1,000 euros. The logic of "because I'm worth it" prevailed over domestic arithmetic.
Dizzying budgets and 490-euro butterflies
The numbers being handled were chilling: an Excel budget detailed 43,000 euros in items the bride considered "essential." Another couple, after receiving 18,000 euros in severance pay, decided to "invest" it in the banquet. Extravagances included releasing butterflies (from 155 euros for 5 specimens to 490 euros for 70), 1.60-euro watches for guests, and cake toppers for 1,200 dollars. The wedding industry had turned marriage into a consumer showcase.
The guest, the big payer
While the bride and groom went into debt, the guests assumed their own bill: suit, envelope with money (gifts of objects were no longer given), bachelor/bachelorette parties and travel could add up to 800 euros per person. "Blowing that in the middle of a crisis is the most immoral dirty trick that exists," complained one affected person. Social pressure to keep up appearances dragged in the entire circle.
Sensible alternatives that confirm the rule
Faced with the waste, some voices defended the opposite. A user married in Las Vegas for 200 dollars recounted: "Limousine, famous chapel, photos and ceremony recorded on video: all included." Others opted for a civil ceremony with 7 guests and food at 30 euros per head. "I wouldn't spend 700 euros on a dress that looks like it's from the flea market," joked one participant. The gap between the "bubble spender" who spent without measure and the "tightwad" who saved was a reflection of the social fracture of the time.
The reckoning comes with the years
The passage of time was not kind to those who went into debt. Years later, the thread resurfaced with premonitory comments: "By now the forum member will have been divorced and abused for about 7 years." Another predicted the triple somersault: mortgage, alimony and the wedding loan still in force. The dream wedding had become a financial burden.
Is it worth starting a life together with 43,000 euros of debt for a single day? Those who did it already have the answer, though it's probably not the one they expected.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (845 replies).
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