conversation: User (wildfauna): "Hello, this is my first post on r/PersonalFinance! I'll start by saying this. The realist in me knows that I should take the money and elope (and this is r/personalfinance so of course you're all going to tell me the same, haha). However, the idealist little girl in me has been thinking about what my "wedding day" would be like for a long time. I have a very close/big family and we like to do things "big." I'm not a very traditional person at all...but when it comes to my wedding, I've always imagined having a large celebration, surrounded by all of my family and friends....and basically going all out. I know that this amount of money could give our marriage a wonderful financial foundation and I know that the marriage is more important than the wedding day. I'm just worried that I'll regret not having a more traditional wedding and that I would be missing out on memories or something...my fiancé is amazing and is being very supportive of whatever I want to do, since the money would be a gift from my parents and because of the whole bride thing.\n\n\nANYWAY, we are really reflecting on this.....we want to be wise AND true to ourselves. Some ideas that we've had have included things like having an intimate ceremony at a beautiful location in the mountains, then going on our honeymoon (which we'd pay for), and then having a big (and much cheaper) party when we return. Our only debt is $16k that he has left on his car, and around $35k that I have left to pay in student loans.\n\nNeither of us have had our hands on this kind of cash before, so we want to have a plan of what we would do with it before we make this decision."
  Self: "Ultimately, do what makes you happiest.\n\nIf you want to blow all 25 grand on a huge, wild wedding, then do it! Money is good for two things in life:\n\n1. Sustaining a lifestyle\n2. Paving the path to happiness and memories\n\nWhen you're in your 50's, would you rather look back at a photo album full of beautiful wedding pictures and good times, or look back at a sheet of paper that says you paid off your debts 3 years earlier than you would have normally?"
  