how are you all...

how are you girls all affording weddings!!?!?! I work full time but I feel like the bills are piling up more and more and feel as though i'm spending more than I'm making and thats not even on wedding costs!!!


i just feel like i'm getting myself in over my head does anyone else feel that way? I just feel like with all my bills that i have no clue how i'm paying for a wedding- even with my parents help!!!!!!!!

how are you all...

FH and I have a savings plan of about $1000 a month. luckily... we don't have to worry about rent since we live in his parents basement. We are pretty much footing the entire bill ourselves. My mom is going to help pay for certain things. We've discussed with our parents that if they feel that someone 'HAS TO BE' invited... but they weren't on OUR list... they have to pay for their plate.

I'm also not doing like... ANY flowers... and I'm doing a lot of DIY stuff. FH and I have a budget of about 15k... and my mom helping brings it up to about 18k-20k.

As long as FH and I can keep the venue 13k or under... we're in good shape :)

how are you all...

It's going to be difficult, but the way I see it is everyone seems to make it work. My FH and I put aside 500-750 per check (bi-weekly) into our joint savings account.
We are lucky enough to have our parents contribute an amount of money--I don't know how we would do it otherwise. Finances are my biggest stress right now. We're trying to be really strict with spending and hoping for the best :)

how are you all...

ughhh you girls make me feel better so it not just me!!!! I have my last 3 tuition payments coming up. once march is over i'll have an additional $650 to put towards my savings!!! i still live at home but stupidly bought a brand new car in march so there goes another $325 a month!!!! ughhhh!!!! wish i knew i was getting engaged, maybe i would have shopped cheaper for a car!!!!!

how are you all...

So once March comes you'll be fine!!!! You're getting married the week before I am. I'm also saving for plastic surgery (I have to have excess skin removed due to extreme weight loss) so FH and I are trying to save for that as well!!


I just know it will all come together, for all of us <3

how are you all...

It's not easy, that's for sure! I've had multiple setbacks with school that's prevented me from contributing more to the wedding fund and last month I took on a second job (seasonal) to help save a little more. But now I have to take another stupid class in order to graduate so there goes more money from my pocket!

We'll all manage! It's so scary to think about finances sometimes, though. I really shut down when FH brings up money because I hate talking about it.

how are you all...

its very hard...we try to save as much as we can ..we are getting some help..but our number one goal is to buy a house and i see how hard it is for a young couple on long island and it scares me :(

how are you all...

My parents are helping, and told us to save what we can to contribute. Unfortunatley, FH has been out of work for a while and JUST started his new job this week so we have some catching up to do. Also, I paid for our upcoming vacation to Coachella which I'm now trying to sell to get some extra money. I wish I knew he was going to propose or I would have never bought the tickets lol

how are you all...

Fortunately, our wedding is almost already paid off (in our savings account) and I feel very lucky. Being in school I can't contribute right now but my Fiance worked a ridiculous amount of overtime as a result of hurricane Sandy damage and we were able to put a substantial amount of money away.
Also, we moved into my parents basement apartment in August and barely pay rent and they are also contributing 25% of the wedding costs so we feel really fortunate. This is one of the reasons we chose to book our wedding so far away, so that we would have time to save and not go into debt.

how are you all...

I am stressing about it too. We are still working out our budget & are paying for almost the entire wedding ourselves. Now that the holidays are over its crunch time & we will be trying to save 1500-2000 a month between the two of us. If FHs OT keeps up it will be better, though i hate not seeing him. Most importantly we do not want to get into debt over a wedding. ugh i hate thinking about it, its so stressful!

how are you all...

We booked 14 months in advance in order to save up. I haven't let myself get caught up in any of the extras or frills that vendors offer because as much as we would like them an extra $200 here or $300 there really starts to add up fast. We're paying all cash to avoid tax and we're both working like crazy.

Best of luck to you!

Re: how are you all...

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Posted by Alyssa M

We booked 14 months in advance in order to save up. I haven't let myself get caught up in any of the extras or frills that vendors offer because as much as we would like them an extra $200 here or $300 there really starts to add up fast. We're paying all cash to avoid tax and we're both working like crazy.

Best of luck to you!

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This is a great idea to pay in cash. Do a lot of vendors go for that?

how are you all...

It's definitely not easy. We set aside money each paycheck into our joint account and also put money towards our credit card bill. I start student teaching next week which means no income for 5 months, so luckily my parents and his parents have offered to pay the hall for those months for us. We also decided to only book vendors when we can pay the bill in full right away so that all we have to worry about as the wedding gets closer is a place to live, the balance on the hall and tipping. I started working on Saturdays now and sometimes FH gets overtime, but it's definitely going to be a challenge. We'll all make it work!

how are you all...

It is really tough. We are paying for the bulk of the wedding ourselves. My FH is the sole breadwinner and with all of the bills we have such as apt, cars, credit cards etc it is tough but all we can do is save what we can. We were planning to get married with no debt but it just isn't realistic. We have come to accept the fact that we will have debt and if that means we don't go into a house right away, that is ok. I have been actively looking for work but no bites. We still have a whole year before we are getting married so anything can happen.

how are you all...

VERY tough. We are both finishing up our master's. FH is a per diem substitute teacher and I have an unpaid internship until may. Our engagement will end up being 3 years long, because we knew a wedding would not be a financial possibility for a while. We are making our plans now (lower 2012 and 2013 prices) and crossing our fingers that we find some jobs next year to pay for it all! It is the least relaxing few years of my life, but I know in my heart if we make smart decisions with our choices, it will get paid one way or another.

Re: how are you all...

basicly we are putting aside certain amount every paycheck i put away anywhere from 2-300 dollars away a month and since we are looking into all inclusive it will be a lil easier! plus we still have a lil over 2 and a half years to go

how are you all...

we are paying in all cash as well for no tax!!! our hall is the killer- 15k! :( my dress killed my parents but they are still giving us money for the hall- i just wish I knew the exact amount and my parents are paying for all the other stuff that adds up- centerpieces, bouquets etc its insane!!!

I have a huge car payment, student loans (minimal) and a small credit card, car insurance you name it!!! i feel like i can never catch up!! i love summers because that means i work and get my regular salary!!! it still is so hard!!! it gives me so much stress!!!!

how are you all...

I know the feeling. I paid for undergrad and grad school in loans so I have that. FH and I are paying for everything ourselves (with some help here and there with things) we haven't gotten to the part where we have to start laying out lots of money yet as we are having a destination wedding BUT i am moving back to my moms on the 15th in order to start saving money. We are hoping to buy a house and pay for a wedding, not sure how that's going to work just yet, but hoping for the best. Open to tips, suggestions, advice. :)

Re: how are you all...

I was just wondering about this myself too! These boards are so super helpful to me right now, but when I read some of these reviews, I just can't help but wonder where all of that money is coming from! I'm in grad school right now and will be student teaching for the next 4 months, so working is going to be very hard for me, and my fiance is out of work right now. Even though he's been applying to a million jobs a day, nothing has come up yet. I have some savings put away, and we're both doing everything we can to make a budget and stick to it - but it's so hard with such a limited income! I think we might be getting some help from my parents, but no one is really in a position to shell out the kind of money these LI weddings end up costing! lol! I agree that even though it might seem overwhelming, we just have to remember that no matter what, we get to celebrate an amazing day with the person we love more than anything, and after that, it's a lifetime together :) I think about that when I start getting price quotes and just want to start crying

how are you all...

ughhh i know we will all be ok and have amazing weddings its just the stress leading up to it!!!! i always feel 1 step from saying screw it and going to vegas!!!! lol

helena- where are you student teaching? i work in a catholic school right now!!! let me know if you need anything student teaching is an amazing experience- stressful but amazing!! :)