I've been watching all those bridal shows, trying to get into the wedding spirit, and also attempt to get a clue as to what we're in for with my daughter's upcoming wedding. Oh my goodness! I want to be excited but now all I am is terrified!

One show gives the amount each bride spent on the wedding. I'm in shock! It's a down payment on a house! I guess I kind of knew that, but I secretly hoped that my daughter might be able to have her wedding cake and condo too... or pay off the rest of her student debt.

Tack on the added expenses of travel, and a possible European venue, and I think hubby and I will be crying... for all the wrong reasons. I guess I'm just way too practical for all of this wedding stuff, but it isn't about me. It's about her. Will we be able to make it beautiful, magical, and romantic without choking at the price?

We are simple people. We drive old vans. I buy clothes and furniture from the thrift stores and garage sales. Our own wedding cost us a grand total of around $70 if you consider the gas it took to drive to Reno and the $35 we won in the slot machine. We wore our 'Sunday best'. It probably sounds like the epitome of a 'red-neck' wedding, but it wasn't. It was surprisingly romantic and beautiful. I would not change a thing!

Well, I'm sure that won't do for this daughter. So, I'm trying to figure it all out by watching what other people do. It's hard to tell but it looks to me like it's the bride who pays for the grand event. I don't get the impression that anyone else is reining her in.

I watched one wedding where they had entertainment that went way beyond what I'd expect. Flame throwers? Of course, on that show, they were being rated. If the father of the bride cries you get extra points. If the groom cries, even more! Is the ceremony too long? To short? Too religious? Too ritualistic? Does the dress have too much bling? Too much shine? Too much poof? Are her boobs falling out? Points!

The plus side of these shows is that they are revealing possibilities and pitfalls that I would not know enough to think about on my own. Some of them make sense, such as making sure there's enough dance space, or providing enough seating at cocktail hour, (which I hope is not an issue as we do not drink!) However, I think it will also add to the stress. Already I am self conscious. How can we make it worth people's while without turning it into a circus act?