Good morning Dinks. Just in case you don’t know I am 32 years old, I have been with my boyfriend for 14 years and we are not even close to being engaged, let alone almost getting married. So now with all of that being said, is it crazy to save for a wedding if you aren’t even engaged?
I have a friend who is my age and who has been dating her current boyfriend for a year. She already has $7,000 saved for her wedding and the truth is that she started saving a long time before she ever started dating her current boyfriend.
Lady Dinks and Man Dinks – did you start saving for your wedding when you were still dating?
I haven’t given up hope on getting married to my boyfriend, but do you know how much I have saved for our pretend upcoming nuptials? Absolutely nothing. I figure that if the day ever comes when I get married to my boyfriend then we will start saving then because if it takes over 14 years for my boyfriend to propose, who knows how long, the engagement will be.
3 reasons why you always need to save for a wedding
1. The days of relying on our parents are over. A few years ago I confessed to my parents that my long time boyfriend Nick and I aren’t getting married anytime soon. To say that my parents were disappointed would be an understatement, but they are happy that I have someone in my life and that I am not alone. I asked my parents to give me the money that they have saved for my wedding to me now so that I can have it for the down payment on our first home. My parents laughed in my face because they don’t have any money saved for my wedding – I guess they are just as hopeless as I am.
2. People are getting married older. The days of women getting married at 19 are over. Nowadays women are getting married well into their 30s. With more and more couple’s getting divorced, more and more people are getting married for the second (or third time) later on in life. Getting married when you are older gives you more time to save, more time to plan and it can help you avoid getting into debt over your wedding. If you are young and in love don’t rush, take the time you need to save for your wedding. My only advice – just don’t wait 14 years.
3. Find ways to cut costs on a wedding from invitations to the last dance. Rushing into a wedding can create a huge cost burden. Taking your time to plan the wedding can help you find creative ways to DIY and cut costs. Talk to your friends about their wedding and maybe they can recommend a good DJ, a cost efficient hall and other ways to save money on your big day. Don’t forget about your Moms – they can help and trust me they want to help. If I ever do get married I know that my mother will want to input her 2 cents but believe me my bridesmaids will not wear peach.
Photo by epsos
Kristina Tahnyak
Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.
We got married young and paid for much of it ourselves.
My advice for saving for a wedding? Save ON the wedding.
Don’t try to impress anyone with your reception. They should be there to share your moment. If they leave the gathering and are most concerned about the food and lack of live music, you invited the wrong people.
@No Waste – that’s great advice. If I ever do get married our wedding will be about us – not what people want us to do.
IF you believe at some point in time you will both get married then sure you can start saving. There is no better time to start saving especially if you know that at some point it will happen. It’s up to the both of you though.
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