According to wedding planning service Bridebook, the average cost of a UK wedding is now at £27,000 with it reaching to £38k if you decide to wed in London. That’s quite a lot of money to spend on one day – or an afternoon and an evening.

Look behind the veil for a second and it’s hard to justify that kind of money for what is essentially a ceremony, a meal and a party. The ever increasing pressure to please friends, family and fulfil a lifetime of unrealistic expectations (ask the millions of young girls who tuned into William and Kate’s wedding for further details) means that literally thousands and thousands get spent on creating “the happiest day of our lives”.

This is all fine and well and good and if you can afford it, by all means splash out on the wedding. Enjoy every minute. Take beautiful photos. Party with your most loved. But it’s worth remembering this – it’s only a day. Your marriage will last your lifetime. So which should you spend more time preparing for?

Is it really worth spending all that money, in order to begin your marriage with financial stress or would it be better to begin your marriage without the chain or debt or the guilt of spending so much of your in-laws money?

Is it wiser to invest 6 months discussing colour schemes for cutlery, table cloths and flowers or to spend that evening a week getting advice, counsel and help from an older couple who have weathered some marital storms?

We spend so much time, energy and money on preparation for “the big day” but that day is the beginning of hundreds of others that are far more important. The wedding day will come and go but your marriage will last for the years. It’s worth remembering that, in the midst of the frenzy of wedding planning.