What's Next Now that You've Said 'Yes'?
Planning for a wedding can be very exciting, but can also be extremely overwhelming. A combination of endless details, deadlines, stress, and a big price tag all come with the preparation in making your Big Day something special.
The average cost of a wedding is $26,645, not including the honeymoon, according to costofwedding.com. When it costs more than $1,500 just to put the proper clothing on, budgeting becomes essential. When it comes to the other details, newlyweds-to-be need help.
There's the rings, the reception, and the photographer. Then there's a flood of other smaller costs you might not be expecting. People pay for these in all kinds of ways, be it family, savings, credit cards, or wedding loans.
Most couples drop $7,000 on rings, $13,500-plus on the reception, and another $2,500 on photography or video. If you're early on in the process, you probably haven't even dabbled in transportation prices, hotels for guests, hair appointments, a wedding planner, bridal bouquets, invitations, and more.
After endless hours of work and planning, you may wonder how am I going to pay for all of this? Countless dollars go into making your day elaborate, beautiful, and spectacular. So how will you afford it?
Start Saving for Your Wedding
If you haven't already, start setting aside at least a little each week. Now's the time. Open up a special wedding savings account and set up a direct deposit allocation to go into that fund. It will come directly from your paycheck, and you won't even miss it.
Take Out a Wedding Loan
Many financial institutions offer newlywed-specific loans with special interest rates to help couples cope with wedding costs. A wedding loan can cut into that debt or cover smaller items like entertainment or flowers.
Open a Line of Credit (If Necessary)
Paying with credit is not recommended, but sometimes necessary. If one or both of you have a decent FICO score (generally 680 and higher), you shouldn't have trouble getting 0 percent promotional APR on a credit card. This will give you a good year or so to pay the balance on your "wedding card" without any interest, and you could be earning points towards rewards.
It's very important to stay within your budget, though, as credit cards make it much more tempting and easy to make expensive upgrades. Buyer, be aware!
When preparing for your Big Day, it's easy to fall into the stress that comes along with planning and paying. There are so many minor details that go into creating your fairytale wedding. But, no worries: We've got it all planned out for you. Check out this helpful checklist for virtually everything you will need to consider - financial and otherwise - when planning for your Big Day.
