- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
We are paying for our own wedding and it is very budget driven. We could afford more towards the budget but we don't want to. We have a house that we would rather spend that money on, or our honeymoon. We want a nice wedding it just isn't something that we want to spend a lot of money on. Having a good time with family, friends and being is love is our main drive not money.
I don't think that merely the amount spent on a wedding (whether it be a lot or a little) will significantly alter the success of your marriage. I think that the amount of money spent reflects the lifestyle of a couple(and or their parents), which may play into the views about the dispensability of possessions and maybe relationships. But there's a lot more that goes into a failed marriage that just the wedding budget!
I believe my marriage would be just as successful whether or not my dad paid for it or my fiance and I paid for it; and whether it was a tiny budget DIY wedding or a platinum affair.
I'm curious to hear what others have to say!
I think you forgot one last option:
"The amount of money spent or who is spending the money will have not a have a postivie or negative impact on the course of the marriage."
I really dont think it matters at all! My parents are paying for the majority of our (pretty formal fancy) wedding. If they couldn't or didn't want to we would host a party that we could afford. Eitherway, I'm confident my marriage will be a success - otherwise I wouldn't be getting married!
312762315354c11bf6f1034c.jpg (190.9 KB, 29 downloads) 1 year old 112762279044c11b1404b063.jpg (221.2 KB, 30 downloads) 1 year old _MG_340812705392474bbae3ef9c156.jpg (45.1 KB, 22 downloads) 1 year old 
I don't think that having a budget vs. platinum wedding will necessarily have any kind of impact, negative or positive. There are so many factors that go into the success of a marriage that I think it's very difficult to definitively generalize that spending a certain way for the wedding will be positive or negative for the couple's future. I wonder what type of anecdotes or stories the OP has heard to prompt this question? I'm curious also.
Can there be an option for none of the above? I've seen platinum weddings last, and break up. I've seen budget weddings last, and break up. And I've seen everything in between (wow, I've been to a lot of weddings). And it really doesn't seem to matter who's paying in either case.
My parents want me to have a big wedding...and I like the idea of having so many people I care about attend as well, but I certainly would not put out the cash for it. My FI wants whatever will make me happy. We are pitching in part of what we would have spent on our own wedding to do the things that matter to us (mostly taking extra care of our friends who are traveling longer distances). I don't think this will impact our marriage, nor do I think having the much smaller and lower budget wedding we would have felt comfortable paying for would have impacted our marriage.
I do think that sometimes people (often the bride) get so caught up in having an extravagant affair that they can make decisions that might hurt the marriage. Most notably incurring a lot of debt to pay for the event. That can certainly impact a marriage. I also think that if only one set of parents are paying there is a possibility that the other parents or person can feel that they are less important, which also has negative consequences. But in both cases it's symptomatic of a larger problem: disagreement about finances in the first case, letting your parents control you at the expense of your spouse in the second.
I would think that it only impacts the marriage if: (1) you spent beyond your means (which could be a budget or a platinum wedding) or (2) you were so focused on having a "Wedding" (platinum or budget) that you weren't really focused on the idea of being married.
I agree with fizicsgirl...and many others as well, but I think yes, if you can't afford ANY budget, you probably should wait it out until things are more stable. This includes not going into debt for one day....which can make the next 365 days pretty tense! I think a lot of girls get sucked into the keeping up with the Jones'-which is why weddingbee ROCKS, because there are so many great DIY ideas that can keep your budget in check while still making things look great. Personally, I would hate to see what my budget (and wedding) looked like if I hadn't stumbled upon this site
I am with Habibi...the budget doesn't necessarily impact the success of the wedding. I think that is said about fancier weddings because it can seem like all the bride cares about is the day, not the other important things.
I think it has to do with how much money you actually have and also what your reasons are for having a platinum wedding.
If you're having a platinum wedding and you (a) cannot afford it and/or (b) are only doing it to show off if can negatively affect your marriage.
If you wedding is costing more than your and your FI's net worth (whether you are paying for it, or your family is paying for it) than I think you are spending too much, whether the wedding costs 5K or 500K.... and you need to re-evaluate.
19450_292954437769_710052769_3213777_7.jpg (67.8 KB, 49 downloads) 1 year old 
I agree with Habibi and others that so many things affect the outcome of a marriage, and probably very little has to do with how much you spend on the wedding. Perhaps one exception is if the couple has a blow out wedding, pays for it themselves but cannot really afford it, and then fight about money all the time because they are in debt or have none.
My parents are paying for our wedding and have worked very hard in their lives to be able to give us this gift, and I am proud of it. I don't view it as "daddy" paying the bill. We are very grateful and appreciative because I understand that not everyone is in this very fortunate position. Or, maybe some people would rather pay for their weddings themselves. It all depends on what you are comfortable with and what your families are comortabl with.
My feeling is that the budget of your wedding (or how it gets paid) should hopefully not have a bearin on the marriage. For us, it is having a positive impact (presently) since we do not have terrible stress over financing our wedding.
Photo0086_EDIT.jpg (176 KB, 25 downloads) 1 year old
If 'neutral' was an option, that's what I would have voted. I think doing pre-marital counseling or simply having good discussions about money, in-laws, sex, work-life, kids etc would be a much bigger determinant. Maybe all the time it takes to plan a huge wedding could crowd out some of those discussions?
There was no "money and its source doesn't have an impact" or "going into debt for a wedding can put added stress on a newly married couple and have a negative impact."
I would have voted for one of those options.
I think as long as the couple is in agreement on the budget, it probably won't hurt them in the long run.
I think you should simply spend what you can afford to and not a penny more. However, I think that if my parents were paying for our wedding, I'd have more of a tendency to be less conscious about our spending. Since my FI and I are ponying up for it ourselves, I'm realizing just how MUCH it is and thinking about MY hard earned money going towards cakes, etc so I end up DIY most of it myself. I would have a tendency to think "oh, $500 is a good price" if my dad was covering it instead and think that I "deserved" it because I'm daddy's little girl. I think it's wonderful when parents and/or family can contribute, but the bride is still respectful of the cash flow. The economy sucks and every dime counts! Hence our super awesome sheet cake from Sam's Club =P I think mongo Platinum weddings are a big showy thing anyways. I've been to a few and they're just obscenely luxe. I feel like they could have cut $1000 in corners and donated to a children's charity and nobody would have noticed if they had glass goblets instead of real silver ones, you know? But that's just me
I didn't vote. I think there are just too many factors.
If parents pay and just pay, maybe not so much of an impact. If parents pay and have total control over everything, it MAY be an indicator of future marital interference in the marriage.
If the couple pays on their own and agrees to a budget and both parties stick to it, it MAY indicate that the couple have similar values and will be a positve way to start the marriage. They'll know that they can make a budget, stick to it, and work together to achieve a goal. On the other hand, if neither party can come to an agreement on a budget and one party keeps going over, that could forcast some future financial trouble-which is a big factor in marital unhappiness. Not to say that people can't change, life is a learning process after all.
I don't think the size of the budget or the lavishness of the wedding or who pays is directly linked to a successful marriage, but how it's handled by all parties involved that indicates how the marriage will proceed.
I agree with the above answers. I think that you should spend just what you can afford and no more. If you can afford a huge platinum wedding, more power to ya; but in some platinum weddings it seems as though the only thing being focoused on is which LCD lights to put where and what each flavor of the 6 tier cake will taste like and who will set off the fireworks etc and not so much focous is being put on the MARRAIGE. I personally am under a budget and honestly even if money wasn't tight i highly doubt we would go "platinum" for a couple of reasons 1) I think its kind of silly to pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into one day that could be saved and put towards the rest of your lives 2) I enjoy crafts and DIY projects so a DIY to save money is right up my alley
When I watch platinum weddings where the couple has jobs that yield modest income but her father pays for platinum event, I wonder if the marriage will be succesful since I assume the bride will continue having the same expectations of her husband going forward as she had of her dad ( aka platinum). I am not trying to judge, but I am curious how those marriages work out in the future.
stuff_072.JPG (1411.2 KB, 28 downloads) 1 year old stuff_067_-_Copy.JPG (2013.1 KB, 23 downloads) 1 year old PaperLantern_054.JPG (1346.3 KB, 28 downloads) 1 year old 
I'm paying for most of it myself, with contributions from my mom and dad while FI pays off his debt and saves a little to help with a down payment for our home. If it was up to my mom, she would say money is no object and pull out all the stops to make it over the top. I had to reel her in because one of my main priorities is to have an AFFORDABLE wedding and if that means putting someone out --especially my dear, overspending mother--I won't do it. On the other hand, I don't mind spreading around the contributions to talented and willing to help friends and family. It makes me happy that it is a group effort with friend-ors doing this together as a team. And I'm fine with using my savings to pay most of it off since I'm making almost all the decisions (with the encouragement of my FI). Plus I like to be known for stewarding money well and making good decisions. I asked my family and friends up front for specific things I needed help with and it is falling into place.
I think everyone's situation is unique and different. Its hard to say what will positively or negatively affect the marriage. I mean, on one hand, it could be great for the marriage, if the couple completely paid for the wedding themselves...they would learn how to cooperate and get along as adults. However, I think it could also negatively impact the couple if the couple went into major credit card debt over the whole thing.
I think it just comes down to taking out too much credit. Credit=unhappy marriage.
dress2.jpg (9.4 KB, 56 downloads) 1 year old 
Does the money and where it comes from matter... No. A wedding isn't about small or grand, it's about marriage. Who care how much money is put into it? As long as you are happy at the end of the day, that is all that matters. I have been to "platinum weddings" that are unbelievable. If my family or me could afford it I'd do it in a heartbeat. I have been to many smaller weddings too, that are beautiful decorated, with great food, music, atmosphere. If you can throw an exceptional party for 10K, go for it! It's one day... one spectacular day... but one day. Don't go overboard, because in the end that's not what matters.
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
 vorpalette |
24 |
| ellisrobertson | 24 |
| caseyleigh10 | 23 |
| Brielle | 23 |
| les105 | 22 |
| lionskitty | 22 |
| fishbone | 22 |
| SouthernGirl | 21 |
| mypinkshoes | 21 |
| kat2014 | 19 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| Steph18 | 3 |
| armychica06 | 2 |
| sylvia.riggle |
2 |
| nerdysarah | 2 |
| pinkshoes | 1 |
| o0olibelulao0o | 1 |
| kate02121 | 1 |
| ElbieKay | 1 |
| MsPiggy | 1 |
| caseyleigh10 | 1 |
Often I have heard people say that people with blow out platinum weddings will be divorced sooner. Or that people who are having an extreme budget wedding should just wait to get married until they are financially stable so the marriage will survive.
What do you think and why?
You can vote for multiple options.