I am overwhelmed with all my options for my wedding. What my fiance and I are extremely worried about is how we are going to pay for it all! Thank God my parents are paying for the venue but we need to cover EVERYTHING else! Any suggestions on how to saVE? Has anyone taken out a loan to pay for their wedding?
LilinBobby
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we put anything other than rent and bill money aside to save. Then we take $100 each per week for spending money and the rest goes in the bank. We have saved a lot of money this way.
LisaReyes
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Posted by LilinBobby
we put anything other than rent and bill money aside to save. Then we take $100 each per week for spending money and the rest goes in the bank. We have saved a lot of money this way.
We do this too. Although we take less than 100/week each. I wouldn't take out a loan for your wedding. Haggle and DIY and if it just doesn't seem possible - push your date out a bit so you can save. Loans aren't worth it.
JuneBug86
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My FH and I had to cut out going to restaurants every weekend and every extra money we get goes to the wedding. I don't suggest taking out a loan, if you can do DIY projects or research vendors carefully and see who can give you the best price.
natalierose1085
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we opened a joint account and each transfer a certain amount per month right into that account and use that debit card for everything wedding related. any extra gifts we get or extra money we weren't expecting also go right into there.
Jae
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im in the same exact situation, but def open a joint account and save every penny! FH and I used to go to a sushi place we were obsessed with in the hamptons but it was 100 bucks every time! ugh i miss that place
kaw2be
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Agreed with what other posters have said. Try to set a budget and try to stick to it even though it might be hard; I half set a budget and went over on the DJ but stuck to it for the venue.
HSsweethearts
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We looked at our budget and decided on an amount we could save. DH realized he could save $1000 a month, and so that's what we did. I also put money aside fromy my paycheck.
We did borrow from his mom, and I did put part of my dress on my Macy's charge (the rest came from savings and my paycheck, and from selling a dress I'd won). I would not take out a loan for a wedding. You can have such a beautiful dya on a budget so I'd say really try to stick with it.
We didn't go on any trips for the 2 years before the wedding and we cut down on gifts, eating our< braoadway shows, etc. We had to make the savings happen!
We both also took on extra work tutoring
PaddysGirl
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We do no go out like we used to, we listed all our bills, subtracted that from our pay, had a little cushion and the rest goes to the savings acct. it's tough but so worth it.
Sweeks
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Same as most of the ladies on here, we just watch what we spend. We each make different amounts of money, so we each put a set amount of money away into our mutual account per month. We don't go out as much as we used to, and we aren't taking any vacations until the wedding.
Also with birthdays and christmas type stuff, we scaled back hardcore, instead of going all out we set a low limit so for christmas we don't spend more then a 100 on eachother, and we don't do big birthday presents either. It saves money, also any extras like tax returns and bonuses and overtime gets put right into the mutual account.
I wouldn't recommend taking out a loan, I would do a lot of DIY projects and just make things work. I am going back to waitressing part time on top of my full time job just to have some extra money...
sportif7
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fh doesnt have a lot of money to spare so he puts aside 100 a week and i match him...so 200 a week...i also bank any OT i make into a separate account for wedding/honeymoon expenses...i hope by the time it comes around, we have enough money otherwise ill be borrowing from my fam
robnlauren78
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I first made a budget by figuring out about how much each thing would cost besides the venue, my categories were: Photo Music Attire/Beauty Church/Ceremony Transportation/Lodging Flowers/Reception Decor Rings Gifts/Favors Stationary/Misc.
Lets say the budget for these things is 20K, then you can figure out how much you need to save each week/month.
Def wouldn't take out a loan!
bridejackson22
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I did a budget list like robnlauren78 suggested that way I knew where I couldn't go over those amounts when booking. I also direct deposit out of my paycheck right into our wedding account every week and my FH does his a lump sum at the end of the month about the same amount as I do each month. Any extra money we have we put in that account we also became very strict about going out. We have a change jar and we save every penny lol when I find change I get excited and it goes right in the charge jar I found 2 dollars in change cleaning the car last weekend. In two years that can add up to the cost of my favors or my rehersal dinner. :)
TheLadyJ
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Re: Saving Money
Posted by robnlauren78
I first made a budget by figuring out about how much each thing would cost besides the venue, my categories were: Photo Music Attire/Beauty Church/Ceremony Transportation/Lodging Flowers/Reception Decor Rings Gifts/Favors Stationary/Misc.
Lets say the budget for these things is 20K, then you can figure out how much you need to save each week/month.
Def wouldn't take out a loan!
This is the way to start. Make a budget and STICK to it. Haggle with vendors to get what you want.
Also, OVERESTIMATE the 'Misc' stuff. You should give a little overestimate for most things, but for the misc stuff - from paper for programs, to stamps, to a ringbearer pillow, to a unity candle, and other items you might really like (like custom napkins or frames for table numbers), the cost of this can go way way up.
BklynBabe1624
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Re: Saving Money
We are paying for everything ourselves. So what I did was researched every vendor I wanted, and negotiated on what I wanted. The majority of them really worked with me and my budget. Whenever you receive a price, you can ask them 'can you include anything extra or reduce the price as I am not looking to pay that much'.
There are many ways you can save, DIY projects, saving coupons, asking other brides for advice.
You can always FM me with any questons or ideas.
cj52514
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Re: Saving Money
Posted by bridejackson22
I did a budget list like robnlauren78 suggested that way I knew where I couldn't go over those amounts when booking. I also direct deposit out of my paycheck right into our wedding account every week and my FH does his a lump sum at the end of the month about the same amount as I do each month. Any extra money we have we put in that account we also became very strict about going out. We have a change jar and we save every penny lol when I find change I get excited and it goes right in the charge jar I found 2 dollars in change cleaning the car last weekend. In two years that can add up to the cost of my favors or my rehersal dinner. :)
ITA! FH and I opened up a joint account and put any extra money from paychecks into it. I also started a change jar last year...you'd be amazed at how fast you can fill it if you pay with cash without giving exact change. I'm putting that toward the honeymoon.
Diorprincess
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I wouldn't take out a loan. if anything go for a later date and pay slowly over time. it's much better then bulk payments within a year.
nancy6485
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we opened a wedding account & have both found side jobs. All of the money we make from theses jobs goes directly into our wedding fund! we are also budgeting with our wedding as much as possible; we arent having video and not getting albums from the photographer. we own a house and have a mortgage to pay, so we really dont want to go overboard
JojoBride
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Thank you for all your suggestions...my FH and I opened a joint savings account and haven't gone out at all! I haven't even been buying coffee or lunch anymore...what else can I do besides negtiating with vendors and cutting back on going out? I'm very stressed bout all this!
Evan820
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Re: Saving Money
have you used a budgeting tool? It may help alleviate some stress if you know how much you have to spend on each piece of your wedding. i used the the one on The Knot. you have to have a final number you intent to spend, say it's $20,000. You put that in and it will tell you how much you can spend on things. From there you can see what you do and don't need. If you can cut certain things out then you will have more money to spend on other, more important things.
If you have already done this, and you are truly having trouble saving then you should push your date out. You can also start to think of some non-traditional ideas that may save you money (destination wedding, restaurant receptions, small traditional reception/ large pot luck gathering, delayed honeymoon, DIY...) there are lots of beautiful weddings that do not have to cost a ton. Perhaps you could also ask your parents, if you spend less on the venue, if they would put their money into a few of the other expenses.
