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Expert June 2021

Should we still buy things for the wedding next year?

on June 8, 2020 at 5:08 AM Posted in Planning 0 6

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Hello, I hope everyone is doing well. My fiancé and I get married next June. We booked our venue a month before the pandemic and going through the contract I know we have to pay the rest of the money when it’s due next March and May regardless of the situation.

I asked this question before in 2019 right after getting engaged but because how differently the world looks right now I feel I need new advice on the same thing. Should we continue to buy the things we need for our wedding day (boutonnière’s, wedding party bouquets, centerpieces, guest book, thank you cards, guest gift tracker booker etc.) things like that , there’s so much more and the plan was to always buy little by little so it was spread out and we didn’t take any financial hits all at once, but there’s no guarantee we will need them if we do get a second wave next spring. We already know that we won’t be planning a back up wedding (like get married first plan a party later) we know that if we get a second wave next spring and there’s no vaccine yet this may be a new way of life and we can’t handle anymore of this pandemic related stress, we’ll just get married whether it’s the two of us or 10 other people. But we are truly confused on whether we should buy stuff now when there’s such uncertainty. We don’t want to buy them all at once and our wallets take a judge hit but we also don’t want to buy them and not need them and not be able to return them.
What is everyone else doing?

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6 Comments

Latest activity by Anna, on June 8, 2020 at 9:04 PM

Super June 2021
Elizabeth · on June 8, 2020 at 7:28 AM
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We're also getting married in June 2021 and we're going forward like nothing is different. There's no way to really know what's going to happen, but we can't just do nothing for over a year, so we're planning like normal. Additionally, viruses don't do well in warm weather (this is why almost no one gets the flu over the summer), so in June hopefully the warm weather knocks it down, if it isn't already less of an issue just due to time/scientific advantages.
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Legend November 2019
Caytlyn · on June 8, 2020 at 8:05 AM
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No one here knows what next year will be like any more than you do, so it's not possible for us to give you any informed advice. If you're concerned about finances and ordering things, set aside money for decor items slowly and then decide closer to your wedding day if you want to order or not. For instance, if you have $40 extra this week, instead of ordering your guest book, put it into savings to order later.
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Super December 2020
Anais · on June 8, 2020 at 10:41 AM
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I like Caytlyn’s advice to set money aside for now. I also would recommend not buying anything that’s personalized to your date just yet.
If you haven’t booked all your vendors yet though I would get on that. Since a lot of weddings are moved to next summer I would expect more competition to hire vendors. Just make sure your contract has specific provisions regarding what will happen in case you have to postpone.
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Legend June 2019
Melle · on June 8, 2020 at 11:43 AM
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I think you can wait to buy things. there's gonna be so many sales anyway like black friday, thanks giving, xmas, after xmas, etc. so at least waiting until then gives you some more time
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Master July 2019
Hannah · on June 8, 2020 at 12:19 PM
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Yeah, I agree with Caytlyn's suggestion. The amount of money you spend is the same regardless of whether you spread it out or do it in 1 shot. Instead of purchases the item that week, so "ok, this is for the thank you cards" and put that money in a separate account for wedding stuff. That way you are not tempted to use it for other things. Also, you may find that you can do without some of these things once you see how much it is cumulatively. For instance, you mention a guest gift tracker. By this do you mean something to help you keep track of what guests gave you? If so, you can do this for free with Excel or Google Sheets.
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VIP October 2020
Anna · on June 8, 2020 at 9:04 PM
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I’ve been setting aside $X each month in my savings account for wedding. I have a spreadsheet I use to track what is for what in my savings account rather than having that many actual accounts. But I always set aside Emergency fund, car insurance (this way I can save by paying the whole 6mo policy at once), pet vet costs, travel, house, and right now wedding.
This way you know you have it when you feel safe to buy it.
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