Wedding Money Woes

iolanthe07

Goonarmy's eccentric spelling is very hard to read, but perhaps English isn't his first language and we should make allowances.

rabbit_burrow

Goonarmy, reading through the posts again, it appears that you have misinterpreted what kind of scaling down was suggested.

I personally see scaling down not just as a way to get what you want for a cheaper price, but also to compromise on some things to make it cheaper.

What I meant by scaling down was to look at what is imperative and what is a 'want'. By doing so, it is possible to slash costs considerably. For example, I chose to have a few close family members and friends to join us for a special meal, rather than invite people I hadn't seen in over a decade. I chose to do my make up and hair myself. I chose to ask my dad to drive me to the venue and I put the ribbon on the car myself (I was, of course, fortunate that my dad had a lovely car).

There are lots of things that one can do to cut costs. Do I feel that I missed out by doing such things? No, I don't, because not only did I have a fantastic day, I got to spend a night with my new husband in an executive suite of a 4* hotel, enjoying free cocktails and canapes the night before a flight, and enjoyed 23 nights of time with him without a care in the world.

Twiggy_34

iolanthe07 wrote: »

Goonarmy's eccentric spelling is very hard to read, but perhaps English isn't his first language and we should make allowances.

Or maybe everyone should consider the fact that not everyone can spell perfectly or has a good grasp on grammar... I agree some of the posts have been easy to misinterpret, but there seem to be a lot of highly strung responses too. Sorry to quote your response Iolanthe, it was just the easiest one to hand, please don't take it personally!

In response to the original post I would agree with feedback from a number of people. If invitations have not yet been sent, and deposits won't be lost, I would personally consider changing the date if you want to have your 'dream wedding'. If being married is of more importance than the wedding itself, then see where costs can be cut. Can a family member help out? If one of the expenses will be the honeymoon, can this be postponed, or, if you already live together, why not find a tasteful poem to send with the invites explaining that you don't need toasters and vases, but a contribution to a wonderful honeymoon would be much appreciated.

It's amazing how costs can be cut by applying some time to research and by being flexible with your requirements; see if any friends are able to help pull some strings. My sister was going to hire or buy a marquee until she discovered that she could borrow one from a friends employer and saved herself a chunk of cash by doing this.

If you absolutely must have the wedding as planned, and cannot avoid the associated debt, have you considered looking into interest free balance transfers for credit card balances? These of course still come with transfer costs, but if you're confident you could clear the balance within the interest free period, it might be a more affordable and manageable way of managing the debt...

pelirocco

goonarmy wrote: »

Bcause hes (aussption there) point is it could be done cheaper. Yep it can. Bu then rabbit put a price on their wedding of 1.5k. It could have been done for less. Bu thy didnt want that and thats the important thing. If its not what you want is it worth doing? My wedding was expensive. I would have paid ten times what i did for the value it delivered.

There is nothing wrong with spending £millions on the wedding ...........if you have the money

What everyone is pointing out , and you fail to understand , that if you can only spend what you have ...sure you can borrow it , but why carry on paying for one day , for months if not years afterwards

A marriage does not get any better the more money you spend on the day

some of the best weddings i have been to have cost very little

John1993_2

pelirocco wrote: »

A marriage does not get any better the more money you spend on the day

I'd not be surprised if the opposite were the case. Concentrating on the wedding, not the marriage, doesn't seem to bode particularly well for the future.

Gizmo247

pelirocco wrote: »

some of the best weddings i have been to have cost very little

I totally agree. My brother-in-law earns a 6-figure salary but is very tight. They spent the money where it mattered most and kept it really informal:

- No morning dress
- Hotel registry wedding
- No car - they did a walking procession as it was near
- Cruise down the Thames to a pub for lunch (took-over whole pub)
- Back to theirs for table tennis and booze
- Camped in their back garden which was a real hoot
- No honeymoon - Did something a year later

Normally I don't like registry weddings but the whole day was just nice and informal (none of this banning of young children, in fact children were encourage and catered for). Just a celebration with real friends.

Still think it was the best wedding I've ever been to and that includes my own!

bigadaj

Wonder what percentage of weddings fail to last as long as the loan term for them?

Clive_Woody

Gizmo247 wrote: »

- Back to theirs for table tennis and booze

Something I feel too many weddings are lacking, sport and booze combined. Too much formality and tradition, weddings should be fun!

Something for the OP to consider.

Dovah_diva

iolanthe07 wrote: »

Goonarmy's eccentric spelling is very hard to read, but perhaps English isn't his first language and we should make allowances.

Or it could be that he is illiterate and we should make allowances....

goonarmy

Dovah_diva wrote: »

Or it could be that he is illiterate and we should make allowances....

Neiher. But you still get what your given.:j