Sitting in their apartment amid a heap of bridal keepsakes, they recalled the happiest day of their lives - and the $5,000 they spent on a 15-minute ceremony and a party afterward.
''Put the word 'wedding' in front of anything, and the price triples,'' Mrs. Ellis said. ''Take a three-tiered wedding cake and compare it to a three-tiered birthday cake. They know you've got to have it, so they're going to take advantage of you.''
Now that the emotional high has eased, Mrs. Ellis sees things with more clarity. The ceremony was beautiful. The reception was magic. There are no real regrets about the day itself - just the year they spent planning it.
''You don't think very clearly about the money on the day,'' Mrs. Ellis said. ''Once you sit down after, that's when you think about how much it costs.''
The expenses add up quickly: invitations, photographer, caterer, music, open bar, tableware, the reception and ceremony venues, dresses, tuxedos, flowers, candles, veils, gown alterations - the list just snowballs.
Yet families continue to pay. Culture, tradition, memories - these are the buzzwords that sing inside wedding shops and bridal salons throughout the country. The bride and groom aren't really buying anything tangible - they're buying a moment.
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MONEY SAVING TIPS: Not every wedding has to be a bank buster. Cutting corners and calling on favors is commonplace, and doesn't detract from the day's beauty. WEDDING ATTIRE Buy a wedding dress from a discontinued line. Order men's formal wear from a shop that provides the groom's tux free. INVITATIONS Buy packaged cards; write each guest's invitation. Include reception information of the ceremony invitation. RECEPTIONS Check culinary and bakery schools in the area; many will provide services at cost. Morning or afternoon receptions often cost less than evening affairs. FLOWERS AND DECOR Use cut flowers that are common and in season. Check floral schools in the area; many will design at cost. MUSIC Have a friend play or sing for the ceremony. Use recorded music with a friend as the disc jockey. PHOTOGRAPHS Hire a professional to take the main wedding photographs; have friends take candid shots. Check for a school with an advanced photography class. Many experienced students will take the pictures for a flat fee and give you the negatives.
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Cal Berry has operated Berry's Floral and Catering in North Augusta for 20 years. He said it's not uncommon for couples to turn down large cash gifts in lieu of an expensive wedding ceremony.
''In one case the parents offered $50,000 to just have a small, private ceremony - and the couple turned it down,'' Mr. Berry said. ''Couples want to have something they'll remember forever.''
Brandon Drew said he wouldn't accept the money either. Renting tuxedos at Simon's Formal Wear on Walton Way the day before his wedding, the 25-year-old reflected on the 13 months of planning and how it was about to culminate.
''If they just gave us $10,000, we may regret it in the future,'' Mr. Drew said. ''It'll be great to get everyone together - relatives, friends - and enjoy the moment.''
Bill Henry, an independent financial consultant in Augusta, said investing that money is best for the couple in the long run.
For example, if 25-year-old newlyweds presented with $10,000 instead of a lavish wedding invested in a no-load mutual fund, earning an average of 10 percent a year, they would:
Have $35,875 to put down on a house after five years, if they were able to save an additional $250 a month.
Have $67,275 by the time their children were ready for college, assuming they waited two years to have children.
Have $452,592 by the time they retired at age 65.
''What's the better gift? It's obvious,'' Mr. Henry said. ''But it's not really about what's the better gift - it's about what will be immediately appreciated.''
Beauty has a price tag
The exquisite excess of Elegant Bridals, a new full-service bridal salon on Washington Road that will open Tuesday, captures the extent to which businesses will reach for wedding dollars.
Essentially a gown shop, Elegant Bridals boasts a massive showroom floor; four enormous dressing rooms; plush, overstuffed furniture; and a stage with carpeted steps so the bride can see how her gown flows.
The shop illustrates how choosing a wedding gown is really an event itself, the ultimate shopping trip, with room for the family and bridal party to coo and fawn and flip through Brides Magazine.
The staff is experienced and eager to please. There is a private room with a desk, a chair and a phone - in case not enough credit is available on the Visa or another problem crops up. The shop's owners promise that every bride will leave happy - no matter how emotional her stay is.
''There are two times people spend money freely - when they're married and when they're buried,'' said Jane ElLaissi, who owns the shop with her husband, Fathy. ''It's once-in-a-lifetime, and it's very emotional. It can be financially draining, too.''
Dresses at Elegant Bridal range from $750 to $4,000 - but that isn't really what the shop is selling. Mrs. ElLaissi said a bride pays to be ''the belle of the ball.''
''You are paying to look absolutely exquisite for your groom, so when he sees you it takes his breath away,'' she said. ''That's what you're paying thousands of dollars for.''
In the past couple months, Mr. Berry has been involved with dozens of weddings, ranging in cost from $6,000 to $40,000. He said every bride has one intangible she'll pay top dollar for.
''Every bride wants her wedding to be a little nicer and a little different from the one she just went to,'' Mr. Berry said. ''Just one special thing to distinguish it as her own.''
Plenty for all
When Mrs. Ellis started calling photographers seven months before her wedding, the situation was almost comical - no one was available for her big day.
''I left messages and wasn't called back; people told me they were booked years in advance; it was awful,'' Mrs. Ellis said. ''I finally found one, and I just didn't have a choice.''
Mr. Berry said caterers and photographers typically schedule 12 to 16 months in advance - and there's plenty of business for everyone.
Augusta's five most popular reception areas - Sacred Heart Cultural Center, the Augusta Museum of History, the Old Medical College, the Marion Hatcher Center and Savannah Rapids Pavilion - stay booked a year in advance at least, Mr. Berry said.
''The bride generally picks a few dates she likes and then goes to the social hall of choice to see if there's a match,'' Mr. Berry said. ''Then they have to coordinate that with the church or wherever the ceremony is. Then hopefully the caterer will be available.''
Mr. Berry began specializing in weddings eight years ago, when he realized that's where he was earning all his money. It's a competitive industry, but there is so much business he is able to pick and choose.
''Look at all the wedding announcements every week,'' Mr. Berry said. ''There's plenty of business for everyone who wants it.''
