Starting out in life

marisco_2

MattLcfc wrote: »

So the big plan is to get married in June 2015 and then hopefully be in a position to buy around about two years from now, taking advantage of the government scheme where you only need a 5% deposit.

Your plans are based on this scheme still being available in 2 years time. Who knows how the economic situation will pan out and if this will be the case. Personally I would look at far more realistic spending on your wedding, whilst ploughing as much of your savings as possible into the deposit for your first home.

Your wedding day should be special for the two of you. An occasion to mark the beginning to you spending the rest of your lives together. That is the important thing to focus on, not on splashing out on one day. Don't worry about causing a war if Aunt X, who you don't see from one year to the next, gets an invite or not. Decide on what your priorities are and stick to them. It all comes down to taking an adult approach and not letting others and their preferences influence your decisions in life.

victory

Ebay do wedding dresses as do charity shops, car boot sales, gumtree, preloved, there is so much you can get cheaper that you would expect, so much help out there, try it the way that was in the paper, see if someone is a very good photographer and will offer their services or a fantastic cake baker, etc, it can be done, beautifully for so much cheaper than £6k

MattLcfc

maman wrote: »

I'm another that's going to rain on your parade.

You've already taken the decision to rent together. OK that might be for geographical/logistical reasons and I'm sure you're very happy but it would have been far better if you could have stayed with parents while you saved.

So, starting from where you're at it would be madness IMO to spend A WHOLE YEAR's SAVINGS on just one day. People do all sorts of things to have a memorable day and keep costs down. There's a wedding thread on here and people have given you other links.

If you spend the money on your home, furnishings, garden, new car you'll have years to enjoy it all. A wedding day that costs a fraction of £6 000 will still be over in 24 hours.

If I were you I'd sit down with your fianc! and write a list of priorities for the wedding then do the nearest you can for the cheapest price.

My parents home is 30 miles away from where I work, so it used to cost me about £250 a month in petrol. I have now sold my car and bike to work instead, so along with the £250 a month petrol I'm also saving £45 a month insurance, £20 a month for the gym I don't use any longer, plus MOT, TAX maintenance etc, so I wouldn't really be any better off being at the parents.

lavalamp

My Dad would have spent the money on a wedding (he did for my sister), but I wanted to go small and intimate. We went to the registry office, then a local bar. My Dad paid for a buffet (£150) and put £500 behind the bar. Job done! Our friends all said it was the most fun wedding they'd been to for a long time! I guess the free bar helped with that!

Dunroamin

MattLcfc wrote: »

Really didn't think 6k was such a great amount considering you read the average wedding now cost 20k+

Buying our own house is massively important, and is the priority but at the same time, I wouldn't want my fiance to not have her dream wedding. Being a typical bloke, I don't care much for flowers, fancy settings & posh grub and I'd be quite happy with a church wedding and then a good old fashioned knees up at the pub after with finger buffet, but then wouldn't most men!

Realistically what would you expect to pay for a typical church wedding, 3 course meal for 85 quests and evening reception for 200, with everything included (Dress, rings, flowers, photographer, DJ etc etc)

I don't think that people are necessarily saying your costings are extravagant for what you're planning but that it's what you're planning that's extravagant in itself. Why, for example, have a sit down meal and an evening party, why not have one or the other

Gillybean

If the wedding you guys want is coming in at 6k and you're happy to pay that then you go for it. yes it can be done cheaper, but like you said it can also be done for a heck of a lot more too. Our wedding cost a fair bit, but we saved, did overtime and it was paid for in full in advance of the day. If you want to make cutbacks however, there's tons of advice on here.

Not very MSE I know but you sound like a sensible couple who know what they want and are prepared to save for it.

Person_one

panagia wrote: »

My, you are a miserable lot :rotfl:

I couldn't spend £6k on a wedding, I just don't have that kind of money myself, but it's a once in a lifetime event and a special day for the couple and everyone who wants to celebrate. It's a wedding, - you can't just invite them all to the KFC and feed them a bucket of chips.

I'm sure the weddings I've been to cost about that much, by the time you've factored in the wedding and the evening do.

One thing I don't agree with is the hen and stag weekends which cost hundreds of ££s and whose only purpose seems to be for everyone to get bladdered, but again, it's up to the people concerned.

People have always managed to have perfectly nice weddings that didn't cost a fortune.

Function rooms above pubs will often let you have the room for free and they can be decorated cheaply. That's where nearly everybody used to have their weddings when I was a child/teenager, not at an overpriced 'venue' where you pay extra to have sheets and bows on the chairs!

MattLcfc

Dunroamin wrote: »

I don't think that people are necessarily saying your costings are extravagant for what you're planning but that it's what you're planning that's extravagant in itself. Why, for example, have a sit down meal and an evening party, why not have one or the other

I understand what you are saying, however every wedding I've ever been to has been this way, to me it's just the norm, it's the way most weddings are. I'm not at all interested in keeping up with the Jones's or anything like that, but is it really that extravagant?

Marrying the person I want to spend the rest of my life with is more important than any day, but at the same time it is one of the most important days you will ever have, so is it wrong to not want it to be something special than just something done as cheap as possible?

Person_one

EmmaBridgewater wrote: »

I'm sorry but I don't think £6,000 is over the top... given most venues and food cost a hell of a lot. The place I worked in was £5 alone. I understand people saying the don't want an over the top wedding but realistically how are you going to have a wedding day to remember unless you spend money, or own somewhere stunning/ land.

I think most people remember their wedding wherever it was held, unless they've got serious memory issues!

Hello magazine has a lot to answer for.

heretolearn_2

Hi

Congratulations!

I think that's quite a low cost for a wedding of that type and size, so if it's what you really want, you should go for it. However...be warned that not many weddings come in exactly on or under the intended budget, I think they usually go over a bit (especially planning a couple of years ahead; prices go up), so you might need to plan for a bit of contingency money in case that you do your best not to spend.

Deposit - great plan, but don't rely on the current scheme being available then. Also, you need money in your budget for solicitors/conveyancing/surveys, plus removal costs, plus all sorts of other fiddly expenses that crop up when you move. Possibly also stamp duty?

If you can save a total of £16k, then I think it'd be more realistic to plan on £5k for wedding (with £1k in reserve that can go towards new house if not used) and £7k deposit with £3k for other house buying expenses. So you might need to scale down your plan a wee bit both on the wedding and house front.