Lol, you can have those also but if u you know what your doing put on nice affairs that don’t cost that much also. But I won’t go there… Lol…
I look at it this way. I went to a no name school (but many know of it) after a year of community college due to necessity. All my peers what went to Michigan, Harvard, Yale, Stanford and neighbors that went to Wharton, UChicago, Berkeley… (keep adding names), we all live in the same area of Chicago. All live in the same neighborhoods, kids all went to similar schools, all drive similar cars, etc etc etc.
Look around your neighborhood and ask where people in your age groups went to college… It’s kinda eye opening. My block alone is a who’s who of private to public colleges from all over. Not a great litmus test but it’s surprising… So does it in the “long” run really matter that I went to a local no name public but my next door neighbor went to UChicago and Berkeley? Was it worth it to him to live next door to someone that went to a no name public. Does my neighbor across the street look down on me since he went to Stanford? My Wharton friend talks to me every few weeks since we are friends.
Most 10 year out studies I have seen over the years play this out. Like anything in life, there are exceptions to this rule.
As far as events, (you brought it up… Lol) I and my wife 33 years ago put on our own wedding since we had no one else to do it for us. Mimosa fountain and brunch wedding since it was cheaper. We renting out an old theater with balconies, we hired motown session musicians and played motown all night. Till this day everyone still talks about it. Cost us next to nothing at the time. It’s not the cost of the event but the presentation. We have redone this model on many events… Fwiw