How do you make a budget when you have no money?

@svg Projection of regrets is the entire issue I have with my mother which I've mentioned in a bunch of posts. I'm not excited for the ball to get rolling so she can tell me about all the things she wished she did, and I HAVE to do, even though I'm a separate entity with my own thoughts and ideas. :/ I don't even know how to tell her we decided to marry, and luckily I can hold off for a while if I want. I have every expectation of a clusterf*ck. I'm going to try to give her at least a little benefit of the doubt, but considering the toddler-class temper tantrum she threw when I told her I had no intention of going to my senior prom, the bar is set low. (Fun fact, I ended up going to appease her, had an awful time and so did my date, what a total waste of money)

Take a look at your current expenditures, are you spending stupidly? For example, I just spent $9 this morning on a venti latte and breakfast sandwich. I probably didn't need that. Can you cut your cable TV bill and get by on just hulu and netflix? If you have credit card debt, can you call your credit card company and ask them to reduce your interest rate? Can you move into a smaller/less expensive apartment? Can you freelance on nights and weekends instead of spending that time with the aforementioned hulu and netflix? It's super hard. I feel you. Google a site called The Financial Diet, there's a ton of helpful articles.

Also start pricing things out (venues you like, photographers you like, etc.) You may find what you want costs way more than you're thinking. So you can either figure out how to save and pay for them, or find alternative ways to still have a wedding but on a smaller and more affordable scale.

Do NOT take a loan from a 401k (not everyone the OP's age even has one....) That is some of the worst advice ever.

No "your day" is worth your long term financial stability.

To me "no real savings" is a big issue. I just skimmed over some responses and everyone here is giving you good advice. I would pay a visit to your bank and ask for advice on how to get yourselves on a financial plan that is going to take you out of the no money zone. There is no shame in working hard and cutting back on unessential expenses to get in better financial shape.

There's mostly good advice here so nothing new to add but just wanted to say I love your attitude @chris. Thanks for seeing that those providing advice are coming from a good place and usually because of experience. I hope your FH is able to get a better paying job soon and that you're both able to take some of this advice to heart.

Absolutely everyone i know who took out a loan for a wedding CRAZY REGRETTED IT like a week after the wedding.

Get a second job. Have that job direct deposit into a new account that is solely for the wedding. Don't spend more than that. Of course, try to forecast what that amount will be, so you can plan. But be seriously realistic/conservative in that estimate.

Extra Advice You Didn't Ask For:

Look into parks as a venue. I never would have thought about this one, but then I had three friends get married in park structures, and it was lovely. They have nice landscaping, typically good views, and once you dim the lights and have your own lights, you don't really see the floor. You have huge flexibility with vendors here too.

Try not to get a venue that has their own caterers and bar restrictions. Those add up to large packages when you could save money by choosing what you actually need. I have an engaged friend right now whose budget is getting blown because she didn't consider those extra costs. She fell in love with the venue, and now she has a catering minimum, has to go with their bar stock, etc.

Look into you favorite restaurant to cater. We had a BBQ joint we love cater, and they were was cheaper than anyone else we looked at, and everyone loved the food. They were also way more flexible than most of the "wedding" caterers.

Jeez @Kristin D that's some terrible advice. @Chris, please don't dip into a 401k.

@Chris, do whatever you and your FH feel is best for you in regards to the actual planning. IMO I'd rather follow my heart and deal with the outside opinions, than do something I just plain don't want to do. I'm not saying it will be easy, as I'm sure you are well aware of already, but I think it'll be what's best for you in the end.

Save for a savings account first. ELOPE.

Avoid going into debt for a wedding! That has been my one of my two rules I set for my FH when we decided to have a big wedding: no loans and an open bar. It just isn't worth it for one day. If you know how to budget payments, budget your current income.

@Bee thanks so much, honestly the amount of people saying I have a good attitude toward the whole thing is a huge confidence boost. I really am in a no man's land with the stuff so I wasn't even sure what the hell an appropriate wedding budget was. Like I said I have a number in mind, and with any luck that will increase with time. All of the venues I've LOVED are way out of my price range, but I'm willing to settle to a good extent too.

It's also not like I'm over here trying to plan a 25k wedding, for god's sake that's more than my year's salary. Really the most important things to me are the location and the food, so I plan on blowing pretty much all the budget on that. I'm not super concerned about attire, and I found what I'm pretty sure is going to end up being my wedding band and its only going to run me about $130.

With the 401k thing, I don't even have one, so no worries about me dipping in it! Lol.

No money=no wedding

@Chris, it really sounds like you're on the right track. I agree with you about focusing on locations and food/beverages. There are so many ways to dial things back and still have a beautiful wedding. Do a lot of research, and I'm sure you'll be able to get the best bang for your buck.

Have a small ceremony followed by a reception at a restaurant. Or do a cake and punch reception? You can always host a lavish vow renewal in a few years

@ChrisK I know what you mean! I post stuff all the time and accept all of the feedback. It doesn't matter how long it takes you to get married, aren't you already planning to love the rest of your life with them? That's how I'm ok with not have a $20k wedding and stressing myself out on how am I going to pay for it? Ya know? I do hope you have a beautiful wedding though!!

Chris, I just want to say that I'm pretty sure we have the same mother haha :/

This thread has seriously helped me so much! Yall's advice on saving has been spot on. @Celia your original comment with all the suggestions was so much of what I have needed to hear. I am only 21 so all this saving money and having an emergency fund is very very new to me. Me and FH are saving for a house as well and now we will start an emergency fund. I know here on WW some advice can come off as harsh but I really learn so much from these types of threads. OP, good luck with your planning and savings. Your attitude about all this is wonderful! Thank you for starting this thread!

@AshleyR, if that's the case, God speed to you, you poor soul.

To everyone else, I'm so happy to hear this thread is helping others. Like I said it's not even no money, it's how do you even begin to get into this when you're scraping a savings by.

I've been doing research all day and I think my number is going to work out more or less. The only thing I'm screwed on is I totally can't work a photographer into my budget. I'm thinking when the time comes if my parents want pictures they can pay for it. (I know that sounds super rude but I have a bizarre relationship with my parents so don't worry about it)

Chris have you tried looking a nice restaurants? Sometimes they come up much cheaper than typical venues as most things are included which also means less work.

@VC no, however I have found just a handful of venues I like that meet our budget requirements for when the time comes.

I do plan on researching restaurants though, as a backup plan. Our guest list may fluctuate wildly from like 15 to 50 people depening on if i shit the bed with my family relationships. If that DOES happen and no longer need a wedding the size I'm planning I already have a spot picked out for a ceremony for 5 guests or so, and then we'd do the restaurant option.