A Bride Catered Her Wedding With $2000 Worth Of Chili's Takeout

There are two things that my wife and I say ALL the time when it comes to modern relationships. One, we are SO glad that we’re not in the dating scene today. With social media, dating apps, etc., it would literally be a nightmare. All who are in it? Prayers. And two, we are equally glad that we’re not trying to pay for a wedding. And since our only child is a masculine one, we hopefully won’t have to. That being said, the charges for dresses, venue, decorations, and food can be astronomical. However, one Georgia bride recently cheated the system thanks to Chili’s.

Madison Mulkey was faced with feeding 99 guests at her wedding. I guess she woke up one morning hearing, “No place else, is Chili’s-no place else,” in her head. BOOM! Catering dilemma solved.

Total cost: $1,950. This also includes some specialty meals (gluten-free, allergy restricted, etc.). Here’s how she did it. For starters, Mulkey picked up the food herself, eliminating the delivery fees. However, don’t cry, “CHEAP!” Madison and her groom were careful to leave proper gratuity for all involved in the food preparation process.

Now, this does leave one problem. The wedding reception was scheduled for 6pm. Mulkey did her pickup at 11am. That’s seven hours to keep food warm and/or fresh. No problem. Servers hired for the wedding just had an extra duty or two to pull it off.

The Best Cities To Get (And Stay!) Married In Are Not In North Carolina

The 2022 Wedding Season is in full swing. In fact, I just returned from one I was at this weekend. But as someone who seems to be perpetually single, I’m always looking for something to blame that on. And I found something. LawnStarter ranked 2022’s Best Cities to Get (and Stay) Married and North Carolina has none near the top. In fact, only one is in the Top 50 percent. The rest are all around the 100 mark in a ranking of 196 cities.

So if not NC where should you settle down for the best chance at a happily ever after? Hope you’re ready to switch coasts for many of them. If you want to stay in the south Atlanta or Orlando will have to do.

But where did these rankings come from? LawnStarter “compared 190 of the biggest U.S. cities across nine key indicators of nuptial success — from current marriage rates to 5-year divorce rate comparisons to wedding-venue access.”

Check out where each of the North Carolina cities ranked as well as the top 10 nationwide. No judgment from me if you choose to move since the best cities to get married in are not in North Carolina.

Read the full LawnStarter study here.

Where North Carolina Cities Rank
59. Cary, NC

Overall Score: 48.35

Marriage Stability: 43

Marriage Potential: 171
95. Durham, NC

Overall Score: 44.13

Marriage Stability: 71

Marriage Potential: 165
103. Charlotte, NC

Overall Score: 43.42

Marriage Stability: 105

Marriage Potential: 101
124. Raleigh, NC

Overall Score: 41.37

Marriage Stability: 144

Marriage Potential: 100
159. Winston-Salem, NC

Overall Score: 37.32

Marriage Stability: 137

Marriage Potential: 148
172. Greensboro, NC

Overall Score: 34

Marriage Stability: 173

Marriage Potential: 143
186. Fayetteville, NC

Overall Score: 30.85

Marriage Stability: 176

Marriage Potential: 167
The Top 10 Cities To Get And Stay Married In
10. Naperville, IL

Overall Score: 57.34

Marriage Stability: 30

Marriage Potential: 41
9. Washington, DC

Overall Score: 57.42

Marriage Stability: 11

Marriage Potential: 86
8. Atlanta, GA

Overall Score: 57.42

Marriage Stability: 78

Marriage Potential: 73
7. St. Louis, MO

Overall Score: 58.94

Marriage Stability: 74

Marriage Potential: 30
6. Newark, NJ

Overall Score: 59.18

Marriage Stability: 3

Marriage Potential: 32
5. Orlando, FL

Overall Score: 59.42

Marriage Stability: 74

Marriage Potential: 30
4. Grand Rapids, MI

Overall Score: 62.99

Marriage Stability: 12

Marriage Potential: 27
3. Fullerton, CA

Overall Score: 63.28

Marriage Stability: 5

Marriage Potential: 20
2. Pasadena, CA

Overall Score: 65.56

Marriage Stability: 44

Marriage Potential: 105
1. Bellevue, WA

Overall Score: 68.77

Marriage Stability: 2

Marriage Potential: 49