Does Money = Love in a Marriage?

I read an interesting article yesterday on the Sunday Times Lifestyle about couples planning their special wedding. I read about how one couple spent $160,000 celebrating their grand wedding at Sentosa Cove. I was also intrigued at how another couple spent only $900 on their entire wedding (it was for 30 close friends/relatives at their flat).

The interesting thing is that the couple that spent $900 on their wedding were not poor. Their household income was over $10,000 a month. They believed that spending more money was not necessary in making their wedding special. What made it the most special was the people who are invited and celebrating it in a place where they could feel comfortable and intimate (their own home).

While there is nothing wrong with spending a lot of money if you can afford it, I really admire this couple for making decisions based on what they believe will make their marriage special, and not what others may think…bowing to societal pressure of holding it in a grand hotel, where it becomes so impersonal.

I will not be surprised if the $900 couple ends up having a much happier and longer lasting marriage than the $160,000 couple. When love between a couple is truly strong, how much you spend making each other happy is really not important.

I have been married for 13+ years and every year, my wife and I give each other birthday presents costing less than $5- a hand made card written with all the words of gratitude, love and appreciation for each other. Whenever I ask my wife what she would like on her birthday (I’d buy anything for her), she always tells me that a hand-made card from the heart is all she wants.
Adam Khoo, Singaporean entrepreneur, best selling author, trainer