On expensive weddings

Weddings are getting bigger and more expensive. What is the reason for this? Is it a positive or negative development?

Weddings nowadays tend to increase in their grandeur and inevitably costs. This might stem from the importance of marriage and the increased socio-economic welfare, which paradoxically might bring about more harm than good. 

It is understandable why some couples might feel compelled to hold lavish weddings. Marriage is generally perceived as one of the most momentous events in a lifetime, which necessitates the desire to glamourize it. Failing to meet certain standards in terms of extravagance might leave the couple feeling inadequate romantically, as if they had not invested enough in the relationship. This perpetuates the need to lavish on weddings, as a way to validate love and declare permanence. Also, that people in general are faring better socially and economically is another enabling factor. As the world’s economy blooms, the global workforce generally becomes wealthier, too. This allows couples to inflate the magnitude of the ceremony as their spending power grows. 

Personally, despite the beautiful memories made, throwing grand weddings is generally a negative development. To begin with, it can put some couples at a financial disadvantage. Admittedly, there can be an innate need to surpass peers as a means to prove competence, which consequently perpetuates unhealthy competition among couples to have better weddings. This tendency becomes problematic when the couple is economically struggling. An extravagant ceremony can potentially incur debts and deprive them of future financial comfort. The next danger lies in the way people handle trash. The amount of single-use plastic from weddings disposed into the environment collectively can end up polluting the ocean, killing marine animals or amassing in landfills. Evidently, having a humble wedding event is more environmentally beneficial. 

To sum up, to wed lavishly may have originated from the desire to celebrate its significance, coupled with better financial status, which consequently could render some newly weds monetarily short and wreak havoc to the environment. 

(312 words)

VOCABULARY EXPLAINED

• increase in their grandeur (v): mở rộng quy mô

• stem from (v): xuất phát từ

• increased socio-economic welfare (n): phúc lợi kinh tế xã hội gia tăng

• paradoxically (adv): một cách nghịch lý

• feel compelled to hold lavish weddings (v): cảm thấy bắt buộc phải tổ chức một đám cưới xa hoa

• necessitates (v): sản sinh ra nhu cầu

• extravagance (n): sự tiêu pha phung phí

• This perpetuate the need to lavish on weddings : điều này duy trì nhu cầu tổ chức đám cưới xa hoa

• validate love (v): xác thực tình yêu

• to fare better socially and economically (v): tốt hơn về mặt kinh tế và xã hội

• enabling factor (n): yếu tố cho phép

• inflate the magnitude of the ceremony (v): thổi phồng quy mô của buổi lễ

• spending power (v): sức chi

• an innate need to surpass peers (n): nhu cầu vượt qua bạn đồng trang lứa

• prove competence (v): chứng minh năng lực

• perpetuate unhealthy competition (v): tiếp tục cạnh tranh không lành mạnh

• economically struggling (a): khó khăn về kinh tế

• incur debts (v): sinh nợ

• deprive them of future financial comfort (v): tước đi sự thoải mái về mặt tài chính trong tương lai

• handle trash (v): xử lý rác thải

• collectively (adv) : chung, tập thể

• kill marine animals (v): giết chết sinh vật biển

• amass in landfills (v): tích lũy thành các bãi rác

• environmentally beneficial (a): có lợi cho môi trường

• originated from (v): bắt nguồn từ

• render some newly weds monetarily short (v): làm cho một số cặp vợ chồng mới cưới bị thiếu tiền

• wreak havoc to the environment. (v): tàn phá môi trường