I'm paying for my wedding myself

JoRocka- you know it. (hearteyes)

Is that fucking John Barrowman?!

Trying so hard to not lose my shit/lmao at my desk right now.

We've been able to pay everything as it happens for the most part, plus any bonuses. I get a sweet recruiting bonus on top of the regular ones and that's helped a ton!

#nerdjokes

#nerdswillgetit

#mayIbarrowyourmanpleaseandthankyou

Having witnessed 150,000.00 weddings and 10,000.00 weddings, I can tell you that well orchestrated, beautifully planned weddings can be created on any budget. The shit unravels when people have 200 guests they *have* to invite and not enough dollars to treat them well. That's when the glue guns come out a'blazing.

Figure out an amount of money that won't make you throw up. Save towards it. And please don't take a loan out or count on money promised that may never be delivered.

It's a party. A grand party, maybe the biggest most expensive one you'll ever host, but it's still a freaking party. Your "just in case' money? You might need it for something truly compelling, like a house, or a kid, or grad school, or an illness...a party isn't 'just in case'.

Please stop talking about the 401k. I Asked a question and don't want an argument on here.

WTF? Angelique if nothing else the conversation about the 401k will help lurkers understand that it's a bad idea. Furthermore, you can't tell people what they can and cannot say or post. As long as it's within the guidelines they can say what they want.

My fiancé and I both had personal savings we've been putting aside our entire adult working lives. He knew he was ready for pay for a wedding before he proposed. I'm a little better with money than he is (I am an accountant lol) but he saved way more than I had over time (he makes more than I do).

We did end up get some help from our parents, however, we were completely prepared to pay ourselves and we didn't even get offered help until 6 months into planning so we assumed we were covering it all before then.

FH currently has charged most of it on his credit card and is counting on the fact that because he is in the process of selling our home now, when it sells he will be able to pay off the rest in cash. I had been saving for a Breast augmentation for the last two years but When we decided to get serious about planning I decided to forego that decision and put all the money towards dress and wedding expenses. I'm a little sad about it but I figure I can get the breast augmentation after I have my second child in another two years or so.

Eta: while i agree with everyone saying that taking money out of a 401k is generally a bad idea, I will say that FH has taken loans against his probably 3 or 4 different times for non-wedding related occasions. He always paid them back in full and we've never gone under. I think you just have to be smart and realistic about the amount you take and it will be fine.

We saved 15k over 10 months. Weddings prices vary from state to state but I'm in NH.

We're doing ours for around 6k. Less if we can. Most of it is going to the venue, but the place is all-inclusive. So! We don't have to pay a billion different people for oodles and oodles of things. FH lost his job. I know everyone on here gets grumbly about taking out loans for weddings, but paying for EVERYTHING alone cut my savings in half. So! The plan is to take out a loan in his name from my bank (credit union ftw) and have me cosign. That way, he can work on his credit, we have the money for the wedding, and between my credit and my history with that bank we'll have a very low interest rate.

That is actually a very smart idea @lakyn in terms of getting your mans credit up! I wonder if FH would be willing to do something like that for me..my credit is awful but his is good. I would like to be able to have my name on the mortgage for the house we are planning to buy after our (his) current one sells. Something to think about!

I'd rather get married in my bathroom than take anything out of FH's 401k. I have big plans for that money. Like taking it and living on my own private island away from everyone except FH.

*sarcasam*

But seriously just be careful pulling money out of a 401k. FBIL did it and got taxed like crazy at the end of the year.

We already have the wedding costs in our savings. Right now our estimated total is about $28k.

Using money you don't have is a terrible way to pay for something that's completely unnecessary. Pick up a second job. Work overtime. Don't eat out (if you do, order the chicken instead of the steak). Sell old clothes and shoes you don't wear anymore to consignment. Keep your ass at home and don't waste gas gallivanting around town unless it's to and from work/the grocery store. Any of those things can help you save money. Borrowing money...don't.

ETA: Your credit will suck if you use that money and can't pay it back.

I saved for about 2 years. I got a on call job serving so any extra money went straight to the savings account and we both saved about and additional $400 a month

We started saving specifically for the wedding about two years out. I have an auto transfer at my bank that moves a certain amount from checking to savings every week. I also use Digit (Celia mentioned it a few pages back). I've only been doing it a couple months and I've already saved $500.

FH and I have been saving for 4yrs now. We put $500 monthly each into our savings account. Our wedding would cost us at least 40k

I'm notorious in my family for saving. I never let my bank account go below a certain number,I automatically have money transferred to savings every paycheck and my mom has savings bonds from when I was a kid hidden away somewhere.

I was saving for my own place before I met FH and my parents signed over my stock account they started for college when I was 25. I REFUSE to touch that money because it's enough for a good down payment on a house. I've been using my regular savings to pay for things since FH takes care of most of the day to day stuff since we live together. I'm also much better at savings than he is. We are about to come into some money through the VA so that's going to paying off his credit cards and my ring and paying his family back for an issue we had in January.

Anyone can save if they really want too but I'd never take a loan for a wedding.

@GymRat I'm simply asking for you guys to stop arguing.