Long time, no see! Iâm guessing that you can tell what Iâve been up to since my last post in late 2021. Thatâs right, wedding planning.
When I first went into planning mode, I thought I had all the tips and tricks that would help navigate me to an affordably flashy wedding. So far, itâs been easy to get caught up in the costs and itâs no surprise how much control the wedding industry has over your big day.
Here are some tips Iâve learned so far:
Learn from family and friends
Understand that there is no ârightâ wedding
Think long-term for your finances
Family and Friends
This oneâs a big one. I didnât attend many weddings growing up and I recently was invited to one last year. You bet I was taking all the notes I could.
Family and friends who have been through the process know whatâs going on. Youâll have those who are invested completely within the process and others who simply provide you to flourish with your resources. Throughout my own network, Iâve discovered DJs, photographers, wedding day-of coordinators, and more. Leveraging these relationships and paying them fairly could lead to a cost-efficient wedding that doesnât have you stressing out.
No Right Wedding
There are going to be a lot of people throughout the process who tell you to do things their way. Politely say no.
At the end of the day, this is a wedding between your partner and yourself. Following the lead of other people in different positions can cause stress for your mental health and wallet. At the end of the day, trust your gut and talk about major decisions with your partner.
Knowing your personality is a major part of weddings. My partner prefers to keep things as cost-efficient as possible, meanwhile, I suffer from a case of the only-child syndrome and get carried away with providing an extravagant event. Take it from the guy who runs a personal finance blog!
With this self-awareness, we agree and meet in the middle for most of our decisions. We know thereâs no such thing as a right wedding but knowing yourself is to know your wallet.
Long-term Thinking
The rich will always get richer on this one. When considering your wedding costs, itâs always important to visualize the long-term goal. You should be building generational wealth and weddings can significantly hold you back if you let your costs run amok.
Youâre smarter than that though. After reading the contract of our wedding venue, my partner noticed an upfront financing option rather than monthly installments. This piece of small print led to a 10% discount by paying all at once! Donât get me wrong, we took a big financial hit all at once, but we saved hundreds of dollars by this decision.
If youâre paying anyway, you might as well find any way that you can save money on the total costs. Total costs are a better way to think rather than monthly costs.
Other Wedding Resources
Google Suite
Trust me, youâre going to want to document everything
Pinterest
Have a great week!