Dad Spends $39K On Kid's Disney-Themed Birthday Party
That's the cost of a wedding.
Getty Images Being a parent means setting aside some much-needed quality time with your kids ... and spending a ton of money on their birthday parties, apparently.
And by a ton, we mean hundreds of thousands of dollars.
All spent on a young child's birthday party.
According to a 2015 article, Australian couple Eric Lembo and Trang Nguyen threw their then-3-year-old daughter, Lauren, a Disney-themed birthday bash that ended up totaling almost $50,000! What has the world come to?
For a rundown of the costs, the food and staff cost nearly $19,000 alone, the total for the beverages came to almost $13,000, and the setup and decorations for the event (which included popcorn and fairy floss station) totaled almost $10,000, the photographer was $3,000, the singer was $1,600, the photo booth was $1,000 (a photographer and a photo booth? Really?), the magician was almost $800, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse cost $600.
Seriously, how did these people even plan this party? I'm getting tired just reading about all of it.
There were also 220 people in attendance and only 50 of them were children, which confirms the idea that the party was basically a wedding.
However, the total price would actually outdo the cost of most weddings.
Lembo is the co-owner of Caversham House, a popular reception center on the riverfront.
He took over as co-owner with his parents in 1989 and also said that it had become a tradition to give their daughter a big party since she turned one.
“The Italian and the Vietnamese cultures have a large first birthday so we decided to do it for her second and third birthday as well,” he said.
"It has really become a party not just for Lauren, but for all of my family and friends to get together. That’s very important to me.”
However, you would still think that footing the bill for a party with such a hefty price tag that's the equivalent of a year's worth of tuition would make anyone cringe, but Lembo stood by the decision.
He also said he "was proud to have used a lot of local produce at the party, which injects money back into the community." Okay then.
This explanation really puts it all into perspective, right?
Hosting an event that big equals more jobs, which, in turn, means that the overall community benefits from the outlandish cost. Yeah, however you want to justify it, buddy.
So, as long as his baby girl was happy, that's all that really matters, right?
Lembo also admitted that he didn't even think the party was extravagant.
We're not totally sure what to say about that one, but if they don't think that a party for a 3-year-old with a price tag of almost 50K is extravagant, we certainly can't wait to see what they're going to do for her Sweet 16.
Cassandra Rose is a love and entertainment writer for Yourtango.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on June 3, 2015.