I've previously written about how I wouldn't have any desire to organise a massive wedding celebration that lasts many days. These types of events might be fun for the guests (if you're good friends with the bridal party - less so if you're a list C invite), but I can't really see why it's much fun for the people hosting them. Unless they happen to be enormous extroverts or just gluttons for punishment, neither of which would be terms I would self-identify with.
But the more I think about it, the more I think that elaborate weddings have a value. Namely, the prospect of a massive wedding may be a barrier to getting married, but it will also be a barrier to divorce as well. For me, the prospect of having to sink a second year of your life into organising wedding #2 (or 3 or 4) is a very strong reason to work harder on marriage #1. I imagine that if I had to spend months on end organising a four day party for hundreds of people, my feeling at the end would be of such great relief at the prospect that this duty was now discharged and didn't have to be contemplated again. As long as people chase after sunk costs, this should make them reluctant to take actions that would make the investment in time and energy worthless.
Given that a large apparent point of marriage is to raise the costs of ending the relationship (thus making the union more permanent), I guess this is something to put in the 'benefit' column. It's not so much of a benefit that I wouldn't chew my own arm off to avoid it, but then again I write a blog, which probably tells you a pretty strong signal about where I fit on at least one of the Myer Briggs personality components, and my likely desire to organise a big party.
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