you call this a budget?

Last night I tuned in to HGTV's "wedding on a budget" episode with the hope that I might find some inspiration and get some ideas for ways to cut expenses on our wedding celebration. What a joke! The couple in question was getting married and holding their reception in their back yard, a focal point of which was a pool. They had $8000 to work with, total (including food, which got $3000 of that total--they didn't mention the bar!). They revamped the yard, moving dirt, building a cabana, bar, benches, platform for over part of the pool, decorations, etc. For starters, most brides out there considering a backyard wedding wouldn't have these particular challenges, so their own plans (and budget) would look radically different. So much for brides getting ideas from THIS show! Then, as they conferred about how they were doing on the budget constraints, it occurred to me that what wasn't factored into any of this was the labor! They spent an entire day (and then some) with the professional crew and 15 volunteers with the bobcat, built four different units, layed a patio, installed lighting, covered benches, etc. They didn't talk about costs related to invitations, clothing, catering help (who was going to clean up all that food created by the professional chef?) or any of those additional details. All I can say is, this is was not as advertised. Bummer. Back to my own devices...