My parents rule ... $1000 for a wedding! 

With ten siblings I have a fair share of nieces and nephews; 27 to be exact. This year is a big wedding year with three marrying in three months. Watching my siblings manage their kid's weddings got me thinking about my wedding and the way we made it happen. 

My parents decided each of us would get $1000 to organize our weddings. This decision was made when I was a little girl, and with this money, we could throw a party, go on a trip or buy something but that was all we got.  Yes, $1000 for a wedding! I complained, " Stuart got married when I was 12, how is it, fair Mom? Have you heard of inflation?" My parents didn't budge, and on top of that, I took my money to live off of in my first year in Europe, so I had $0 left.

We started planning a $100 wedding in our apartment, and my in-laws decided to chip in and make it something they could invite their friends to; I didn't argue.

Years later I am not mad at my parents for drawing a line. They had eleven children! Giving us a fixed sum was a good idea, and yes you can throw a wedding for a small amount of money. Magic is made with friends, love and an atmosphere. If there is one thing I learned growing up in a big crazy family, it is that you don't need money to make magic happen; my Mom threw some pretty awesome weddings on $1000!

–Allison Ochs, Social Worker M.S.W. , Coach, Expat, Mother of three, Wife

If you are interested in a webinar or workshops click here

If you want to look at our free resources click here

If you want to buy the Oscar and Zoe and primary school books click here

If you want to buy our books and resources for teens click here

If you want to subscribe to our mailing list click here

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash