No.

I want to be in nature surrounded by the people I love. The wedding you went to sounds perfect.

I think people should focus more on the marriage itself than in the ceremony.

I have seen people investing thousands on wedding parties only to divorce a few months later.

No, they don't have to be if you don't want. I don't plan to have a super expensive wedding. What matters most is the marriage. Probably gonna be more than $500 (sounds like they are lucky having a family photographer, licensed friend, AND owning the forest), but definitely reasonable.

That was likely more than $500 if there was any decor, if there was more than like fifty people, if there was alcohol, a photographer, if the wedding party was dressed formally, if there was a wedding cake, wedding favours...etc. They can be done for a few thousand for sure. Mine was around$4000, but i wanted open bar which was an additional $10,000. If you dont go for open bar its totally doable for a couple thousand,

Weddings don't need to be expensive or fancy. The marriage is what matters. I look at the big fancy weddings and think about how they just spent a good chunk of the down payment on a house, or if they already bought one, they just blew several months of their mortgage money on a party.

The fanciest wedding I ever refused to attend (for personal reasons) was well over $12,000 and that was back in the 1970s. The marriage was over before they got back from their 6 week honeymoon.

Shouldn't cost much more than that. :/

That sounds awesome. If I ever get married, I would hope for something like that.

I went to Las Vegas. Best way to get married.
All the big dollars could go toward the purchase of a home.

cool seems really great a lovely change from all the over the top glitzy stuff.

now that is truly sensible.

I've seen some inexpensive weddings that were very nice

I don't think they need to be, but I want mine to be lol my dream wedding.

No not really