What would you do?

Jacqu79

sugarwalsh wrote: »

Just out of interest - have you checked that date is ok to get your deal on? I would be amazed that somewhere which is as lovely as it sounds is offering such a good deal on a bank holiday weekend. I was brought up in a tourist area and over bank holidays people have to book for a minimum of 3 nights! If they are offering it I would really question why. Not to put a dampner, but it just sounds too good to be true!

Can your OH not get work doing something else? It is 19 months away, surely he can pick up some work between now and then? Even if it is in a pub at night?

We had no savings when we booked as there is always 'something else'. We have just paid for ours - in 9 days time! - and I was surprised at how painless it was to get the money. That said, we did book when we knew OH was gong to be in work for at least 6 months as he is self employed too.

Normally I would say 'go for it' but something isn't quite adding up for me, so I'm saying 'be wary' and make sure you aren't swept up with the whole sales thing.

Yes, I've checked the date and it's avavilable at the package price, as it's not officially a bank holiday in Scotland, but some places, including my work, recognise it.:)

My OH has work on at the moment and has been doing ok so far this year, but last year wasn't very good, so we can't rely on him having a regular income. He is keeping an eye out for something incase the work dries up again.

What's not adding up for you? The package price or our situation?

I'm not one for rushing into things and have been working out what we can afford pretty much since we got engaged, so know it can be done if we tighten our belts a bit.

sugarwalsh

The packge seemed too good a deal for the middle of the wedding season - why are they so keen to secure it 18 months in advnace at a low price? If you are happy that it is all ok then fine.

Is your OH normally the one to hold back? I would just make sure you aren't putting him under stress as 18 months of financial stress isn't that great. That said, £5000 isn't that hard to make in extra work over 18 months.

I strongly suspect you will book on Saturday - you seem to really want this place - so hoorah, you have your date and venue!

Jacqu79

sugarwalsh wrote: »

The packge seemed too good a deal for the middle of the wedding season - why are they so keen to secure it 18 months in advnace at a low price? If you are happy that it is all ok then fine.

Is your OH normally the one to hold back? I would just make sure you aren't putting him under stress as 18 months of financial stress isn't that great. That said, £5000 isn't that hard to make in extra work over 18 months.

I strongly suspect you will book on Saturday - you seem to really want this place - so hoorah, you have your date and venue!

I think it's because it's not as grand as other places in the area (though it is gorgeous!) and not as popular. I'd never heard of it until I joined a wedding forum. All the reviews on there are glowing, but I don't know anyone who has been married there personally.

We won't book it on Saturday, because I accept that my OH has reservations. So we'll go and see it and see how it goes from there. I think the whole wedding cost thing has freaked him out! Even although this is seriously cheap, he still thinks its a lot of money and didn't realise how much things cost. Maybe now he'll come round to my original way of thinking with regards to eloping!:rotfl:


Good luck with your wedding when it comes!:)

JimmyTheWig

Jacqu79 wrote: »

I think the whole wedding cost thing has freaked him out! Even although this is seriously cheap, he still thinks its a lot of money and didn't realise how much things cost.

It is an awful amount of money, I agree. But if you do it right for the two of you, worth every penny.

I do think it is worth seeing what you can get for, say, £3k. I think that might show your OH that the £5k is worth it if, for example, spending less might mean he didn't get to invite his Auntie X, or old family friend Y.

But, equally, I think you owe it to him to honestly think about putting the whole thing back a year. I don't think it sounds like the right answer for the two of you (I think you'll have no real problems in saving up the money) but I do think you should give it a consideration. You mentioned your biological clock, earlier, but I don't see how that's particularly relevant especially if you already have a child pre-marriage.

In terms of the too good to be true angle, am I right in thinking that the last weekend in August is pretty much out of season in Scotland? Is it already starting to get dark in the evenings, etc, by then?

JimmyTheWig

Jacqu79 wrote: »

My OH has work on at the moment and has been doing ok so far this year, but last year wasn't very good, so we can't rely on him having a regular income.

Hold on........

STOP!!!

Before you do anything you need to go back to your budget, your weekly / monthly budget for what you are currently spending and how much you can save.

You said earlier that you could save £350 a month, but in the last two months had only saved £250 a month. We agreed that £250 a month would allow you to hit the target and so, especially with the school trip money stopping soon, you should be fine.

But you've now said that this £250 a month you've saved has been while your OH has been working!
That puts a completely different slant on things.
Do you really think that you can save £250 a month when he's not working, when that's all you've managed so far while he's doing ok?

If you don't know where your money has gone for the past two months then start a spending diary. Note down what you are both spending, when, where and on what.
Then decide how much you can afford to save if your OH isn't working for a large chunk of the time.

Jacqu79

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

It is an awful amount of money, I agree. But if you do it right for the two of you, worth every penny.

I do think it is worth seeing what you can get for, say, £3k. I think that might show your OH that the £5k is worth it if, for example, spending less might mean he didn't get to invite his Auntie X, or old family friend Y.

But, equally, I think you owe it to him to honestly think about putting the whole thing back a year. I don't think it sounds like the right answer for the two of you (I think you'll have no real problems in saving up the money) but I do think you should give it a consideration. You mentioned your biological clock, earlier, but I don't see how that's particularly relevant especially if you already have a child pre-marriage.

In terms of the too good to be true angle, am I right in thinking that the last weekend in August is pretty much out of season in Scotland? Is it already starting to get dark in the evenings, etc, by then?

I've been having a look tonight to see what we could get for 3k and it's a LOT less! I've resigned myself to having to let this place go, for now at least.
I originally didn't want a 'big' wedding. I just wanted it to be the 3 of us going away somewhere and having a party when we got back, but it's spiralled out of control! We've been having a chat tonight about what we could spend £5k on. We could have the holiday of a lifetime and get married while we're there! He's still reluctant to get married without his family though.

With regards to my biological clock ticking, my son is from a previous relationship and is 13 years old. I always wanted more children, but wanted to be married next time.:)

Your probably right about the end of August being out of season here in Scotland, as the kids go back to school in August. That's maybe another reason it's so cheap.

Anyway, this thread has given me lots to think about and bumped me back down to earth

We're just going to start saving seriously and in a few months we can see how things are then.

Jacqu79

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

Hold on........

STOP!!!

Before you do anything you need to go back to your budget, your weekly / monthly budget for what you are currently spending and how much you can save.

You said earlier that you could save £350 a month, but in the last two months had only saved £250 a month. We agreed that £250 a month would allow you to hit the target and so, especially with the school trip money stopping soon, you should be fine.

But you've now said that this £250 a month you've saved has been while your OH has been working!
That puts a completely different slant on things.
Do you really think that you can save £250 a month when he's not working, when that's all you've managed so far while he's doing ok?

If you don't know where your money has gone for the past two months then start a spending diary. Note down what you are both spending, when, where and on what.
Then decide how much you can afford to save if your OH isn't working for a large chunk of the time.

Yes, the money I've saved has been saved from my wages, our regular income. The money he's been earning since Christmas has been spent on doing the house up and buying us all new clothes!:o

Because we've been used to living off my wages for a while, anything he earns isn't counted into the household budget and we use it for non essentials and holidays etc! That's why I'm so sure we could afford it comfortably!

bubbles0169

would you mind telling me what you do for a living and how many hours you work?
I think you have made the right decision holding off for a bit

Jacqu79

bubbles0169 wrote: »

would you mind telling me what you do for a living and how many hours you work?
I think you have made the right decision holding off for a bit

I don't understand why that is relevant?:huh:

I don't feel comfortable posting my job details on here, but I work in the service industry and earn just over £21k per year. We live in rented accommodation with low rent, don't have any debts/loans/credit cards etc and live within our means.

bubbles0169

I just wanted to see if i could forewarn about any redundancies that could come up, this is one of the most turmoil times for working people nobodys safe.
if you stated your hours i was going to suggest if there was scope or not to do over time so you could throw more money at your savings