Ada & Quinn

Both work at Penn State: Ada in the library's special collections, Quinn in facilities. They have been together eleven years and got married mostly because they wanted an excuse to buy everyone dinner.

The plan was one sentence long: twenty-six people, one long table, four courses, no schedule after 2pm. A self-uniting licence meant no officiant to book. A friend's field meant no venue to book. Almost the entire budget went to the caterer, and the caterer knew it.

Ada and Quinn spent their entire budget on food for twenty-six people and have never once regretted it. A self-uniting licence, a friend's field, one long table, four courses and no schedule after 2pm, which is how a lunch reception ended at eleven at night around a fire pit.

Work out the one thing you actually care about and put an unreasonable share of the money there. For us it was the food. For our friends it was the band. The couples we know who spread it evenly across everything are the ones who cannot name a favourite part.