Wedding financials

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Yes!! I agree with this 100%! DIY as much as you can now because you have plenty of time, and then see where you're at later on down the line.

A wedding is a privilege, not a right (marriage is a right, but there's a difference here). You should not be going into debt for something that is ultimately not a necessity. Please do not take out a loan for this. As Cherry mentioned, the loan may not seem like much now, but life happens and you may end up trying to pay off that loan years down the road.

That said, there are many ways to cut expenses in advance. Cut down the guest list, change the venue, eliminate the bridal party, forgo bachelorette/honeymoon, have a dry wedding, DIY the crap out of everything, etc.

Going to ask some questions contrary to the main opinion in this discussion:
-Is all $6000 due at once? If not, can you get part paid now while you have $3000 available and then catch up between now and September?
-At a level like $3000, would you consider credit cards with rewards instead of a loan? There's plenty of cards out there with awesome sign on bonuses for spending $2000-$5000 on them in the first 3 months. Obviously you benefit the most when card balances are paid off each month because a lot of the cards with the best rewards have high APR, but at least you could get something back for the debt if you can manage more than minimum payments each month.
Best of luck figuring out what works best for you!

This is such a personal decision for you and your FH. I’m getting married this Fall also. I recently quit following every single
wedding related vendor/site on social media.
It just got to me. Every single
day, as soon as I woke up.... there would be something new in my face,
screaming at me to get it. This caused
me to question my original wedding vision and even led to some recent money related
arguments with FH (yuk, we NEVER fight!).
I’ve been much more peaceful lately lol.
Anyway, I know this is different than what you are talking about. But I wanted to share that you are not alone,
and no matter what anybody says, the struggle is FOR REAL. Good luck love!

You are obviously entitled to do what you want but I strongly urge you not to do this. A wedding is a one day affair, for some only a couple of hours. Regardless, it is not worth going into debt for. There are so many ways to cut costs and keep things low key and cost effective but still being amazing! The other WW users are amazing and there are tons of "cheap" wedding tips and ideas at your fingertips. I would use those before taking out a loan.

A few thoughts on this:
1) agree with everyone to cut wherever you can. You may not be able to get drastically lower, but every little bit helps
2) Remember that you may be receiving taxes back that can go directly into the wedding fund 3) Split it up into what you think you (and your fiancé) can put toward the fund each month. $6000 seems like a big number and it is, but’s it’s much more manageable if you can think of it as “okay, I need to save a little over $600 a month”. Again, if split between your fiancé that’s $300 each. Cut back on all extravagant expenses like shopping, eating out, etc. 4) If you do decide to still take out a loan, look into taking one out through your 401k (if you have one). There will be a fee, but it can still be a lot cheaper than outside companies. Note that you will have to pay it off immediately if you decide to quit your job
Good luck!

Certain types of debt are good/necessary...
Modest mortgage for an affordable home to live in, sensible affordable car to get to and from work, student loans, medical debt, etc debt that is necessary for you to live / eat / work
To live absolutely debt free is ideal...
Now, wedding debt falls into none of those catagories... You don't need a party to live, eat, work...
Therefore, my suggestion is either postpone to save the 6k or to cut. I don't have alcohol at mine for example.
We're using martinelli's sparking apple cider (blush/raspberry flavor)... That is $100 with buying acrylic glasses.
We cut our guest list from 50 to 21 guest. Guest cost usually about $100 per head at least.
I went with a David's bridal dress instead of the boutique that cost $1000 min
We're getting married in a beautiful free venue. Well maintained gardens and parks are usually free or cheap....
The goal is to cut things that wouldn't be missed... Would you miss alcohol? Would you miss the 3rd cousin twice removed?
The people that truly matter will not mind certain cuts to keep your financial health in order...

Is there a way you could use taxes instead of a loan? That's what we have to do because we are also kind of in a rut with money and I'm scared to take on an extra monthly payment.

Where can you cut cost ? I’m doing desposible plates for my wedding and I don’t care what ppl think. I’m doing online RSVP and found cheaper platforms to make invitations. Your Going to get wedding gifts that will lead you to a better financial sitcuation don’t put yourself in debt to have to use your gifts to pay back a loan ! I’m happy to give you more ideas on where to cut cost

How far into planning are you? Would it be better to postpone the wedding ? Or change venue so that it is cheaper ?

Is your date set in stone? If this was me I would push the date, instead of making payments towards debt and interest just put the same money you would use to make payments into a savings account

I think it is important to remember the purpose of your soecial day and not how much you have to offer everyone else. We have planned ours in a month and are getting married in 8 days. I feel the panic like no other, but trying to stay focused on the fact that this is for us, not everyone else.

IRS so hard to make the sacrifice I would speak with my FH- But I will say you should be commended for taking in your parents you are obviously a blessed woman and a blessing to them- I wish you a world of happiness in what you decide

I'm not sure if I read what you said correctly but do you have $3,000 saved for the wedding already?

View Quoted Comment Yes me and my girls are going to make the bouquets and table decorations just to cut some cost

View Quoted Comment Dollar tree has nice flowers and pots.

I wished I lived close I would help

View Quoted Comment Thank you..my girls are going to come help make all the bouquets ourselves and do the centerpieces

View Quoted Comment That's exactly what we plan on doing. We sign the contract Friday.

View Quoted Comment Were going to make everything we can including my invitations our friend is photographer that's doing the pictures and our other friend will be the dj both within our budget