Weddings in my country are very expensive. Especially in my culture. The events take place over 3-4 days and you have to invite everyone. None of that only close friends and family thing here. Plus the traditions are really crazy. For example, the groom has to give the wife suitcases full of new clothes, cosmetics, shoes, bags etc. Not too crazy, right? The bride however has to furnish the whole house from the front door to the back door. The groom just has to bring his clothes and provide the house (rental or own house, doesn't really matter). The bride also (in most parts of my culture) has to bring food, like bags of rice, cartons of pasta, salt, pepper, even milk and sugar. In some cases she even brings vegetables, meat and chicken to be stored in the fridge/freezer (that she also brought of course). The non-perishable food is in part given to the grooms family and the rest left for the bride. Also, most of the wedding events are hosted by the bride's family. I can't wait for the time when these crazy traditions are finally dropped though they seem to be getting even more outlandish as time goes on.