Impractical

I just spent the entire breakfast listening to Lola Ising rant about her only son's upcoming wedding. Well, church wedding anyways coz he and his bride have already been civilly married since last September and they have a baby on the way. Even before they got married last September, they already were planning for the upcoming church wedding. As far as I've heard, there are to be 40 pairs of sponsors (ninongs and ninangs), 10 flower girls, and a whole phletora of relatives invited. So far, they're anticipating around 300 guests. They're having the reception catered, but since the bride's relatives will come from Bicol, Lola Ising's household have to cater to their needs a day or so before the wedding so that'll be 20 people they'll have to house and feed for around two days. This would all be alright if they had the means to support this... I cannot call it anything else but a fiasco.

Lola Ising is already 70+ years old. She still works as a labandera to feed not only herself, but also her eldest daughter's family coz they live with her - that's Ate Gloria, her husband and three kids - and Kuya Felirey and his wife coz they haven't found a place to live yet. What little is left of Lola's money she pays for her son's debts to other people. Her son, Kuya Felirey, is a public school teacher whose salary is around 12,000/month. He doesn't receive the full amount of that each month because he has debts to pay to numerous people. Lola Ising even has an agreement with one of his creditors to wash and iron their family's clothes twice a week to pay off Kuya Felirey's debts.

And now this so-called wedding is on the works.

Granted that Ate Myra, Kuya Felirey's wife, has her own work and is a civil engineer, that her salary is probably substantial and that she's supposedly the one financing this wedding, but with a baby on the way, loaning money from work, and her already knowing Kuya Felirey's family's financial situation I really truly don't see why she would want to go on with such an expensive and grand wedding ceremony at all.

Everyone who learns about their plans for the wedding are riduculing them behind their backs. Kuya Felirey's colleagues and friends have backed out of participating in the ceremony because they demanded for them to pay around 4000+ for bridesmaid gowns. They're getting around the same salary as him, which isn't much so it's not surpprising that they wouldn't wish to spend a third of that on a gown they'd only wear once. And he even had the gall to tell everyone who asks about how they'll pay for the wedding's expenses that my mom would take care of it coz quote: "hindi naman niya matitiis si Nanay (Lola Ising) e."

My mom got furious when she heard that. She's against them having this grand wedding in the first place, always asking them to cancel their plans coz they would need the money for the baby.

I agree. I don't get it. I simply don't. Why go on with something that would only land you in deeper debts that you wouldn't be able to pay for years? For what? For the memories of a wedding ceremony that would only make your life harder? After the wedding, it's not like the people they invited would pay for their debts. It's not like they'll be there to financially support them, pay for the hospital bills if they ever got sick or in an accident. Those people wouldn't be there to give them food for their daily sustenance. I really don't get it... what's the point of spending so much when you don't have the money to spend?!

It's okay to want something that will leave good memories, and yes fine you only get married once so having a grand and beautiful wedding ceremony and reception would be a dream cme true. But I'd rather be practical. Had I been in their financial situation, I'd opt for something simple, something that would only involve immediate family and a few close friends. I don't want anything grand if it would jeopardize my new family's future happiness. I'd rather save up for a rainy day than use hard earned money for something so fleeting and so seemingly pointless! Especially in their case! They already have a baby coming for crying out loud! A baby! Keeping my child well-fed, healthy and with a roof over his head would be my priority had I been in their shoes. So... dakara... Felirey-san-tachi wa wakaranai yo... hontou ni wakanai yo... I really don't understand them at all.