Planning a wedding and house hunting?

Sembree1

We are in the beginnning stages of planning out wedding but are working to be married within a year at the most. We wont be living together till after we are married. In the meantime we are also looking for a house to buy. How do people do all this! I'm beyond overwhelmed!

Maggie0829

H and I planned a wedding and bought, built, and moved into our new home all within a year.  Yes it is stressful at times (mainly the house portion) but it is also fun as hell.  So focus on the fun parts. You want to enjoy this time and not hate every minute of it.

southernbelle0915

You'll be good. Breathe! H and I planned a wedding, bought a house, moved, did some remodeling, I started a new job.... all within a year. We got through it by planning dates where there was no wedding/house/job talk allowed, taking weekends away, and constantly reminding each other that these were really memorable milestones. With that in the back of our minds, we strove to make the experiences positive instead of getting overwhelmed by negative stress.

Oh, and yoga. I did lots and lots of yoga.

MayDay513

It is do able and stressful. There are always some closing costs and other misc fees in closing a house. We remodeled DH's house while wedding planning that was fun. We didn't live together til we were married either. If not, would renting for a few months post wedding be an option? If the stress is too much take one thing out of the picture.

Ven&Radio

Buying a home was the most stressful thing I've ever done in my life.  Personally, I wouldn't have wanted to do it at the same time as planning a wedding.  Many people do it though -- just be prepared for a lot of stress, money spending, and decision making.  Owning a home is totally worth the stress, though!

ashleyep

My friend and her husband bought a new construction hime while planning her wedding... in said backyard. She definitely wouldn't recommend that, haha, but I think if you're not trying to host 80 people in your yard when the grass has barely grown, you'll be okay!

Maggie0829

ashleyep said:

My friend and her husband bought a new construction hime while planning her wedding... in said backyard. She definitely wouldn't recommend that, haha, but I think if you're not trying to host 80 people in your yard when the grass has barely grown, you'll be okay!

OMG that is crazy!  What if the construction went longer then expected?  When H and I bought our townhome we were told that we would be in by February 2011.  Well they didn't even break ground until February 2011 and we didn't move in until June 2011 (a month before our wedding). Did they have a back up plan at least?  Now that is super stressful.  I would have been one big pimple if I was your friend.

ashleyep

Maggie0829 said:

ashleyep said:

My friend and her husband bought a new construction hime while planning her wedding... in said backyard. She definitely wouldn't recommend that, haha, but I think if you're not trying to host 80 people in your yard when the grass has barely grown, you'll be okay!

OMG that is crazy!  What if the construction went longer then expected?  When H and I bought our townhome we were told that we would be in by February 2011.  Well they didn't even break ground until February 2011 and we didn't move in until June 2011 (a month before our wedding). Did they have a back up plan at least?  Now that is super stressful.  I would have been one big pimple if I was your friend.

I think they they got married a few months after they moved in. I don't remember what stage in the house process they were at when they started planning, but their engagement was only around 6 months, so at that point I think they knew they were fine. I do know that the week before the wedding they had the builder in on his hands and knees finding any remaining pins/staples/whatever those nails are called that are used with rugs.

misssunshine17

We will close on a house a month before our wedding. I'm doing wedding stuff and FI is doing the house still. It's crazy sometimes, but we're enjoying the ride. 

shannyb41

My FI actually proposed the same day we got our pre-approval for our mortgage and began the house hunt.
Honestly, I didn't think it was overwhelming at all.  The wedding planning has been easy and the house hunt was fun.  The stressful part was after we had the accepted offer and had our closing pushed back a few times.

WinstonsGirl

ashleyep said:

My friend and her husband bought a new construction hime while planning her wedding... in said backyard. She definitely wouldn't recommend that, haha, but I think if you're not trying to host 80 people in your yard when the grass has barely grown, you'll be okay!

We totally wanted to get married in our backyard, but we weren't sure if it would be finished in tine and didn't want to get married in the dirt.  We've been married almost 1 1/2 years now (would have done the wedding last summer).  We just got our grade approval and started laying down black dirt today.  So glad we didn't wait!!

vk2204

We bought our first home together November of last year and got married in April of this year. We actually had a really smooth process and it made things a lot easier for me, it was literally 30 days from when we put in our bid to when we got the keys. We moved in at the end of January, our shower was in February so right after we got married we were able to 'settle' into our home and make it our own.

 

WonderRed

The only thing more horrible than wedding planning was house hunting. It was absolutely excruciating. More the financial part leading up to closing than the actual hunting.  I'm self employed and there is a special level of mortgage hell reserved just for that.   The thought of doing both of those things at the same time makes me want to stick a fork in my head.  So to those of you who are doing both I say, God Speed and...

amaryann210

southernbelle0915 said:

You'll be good. Breathe! H and I planned a wedding, bought a house, moved, did some remodeling, I started a new job.... all within a year. We got through it by planning dates where there was no wedding/house/job talk allowed, taking weekends away, and constantly reminding each other that these were really memorable milestones. With that in the back of our minds, we strove to make the experiences positive instead of getting overwhelmed by negative stress.

Oh, and yoga. I did lots and lots of yoga.

This is my situation exactly.  Engaged in Feb, started looking for a house in May, started new job end of May, we put in an offer on the house in June, closed in early August, I moved in last week, we're doing remodeling and such, and we're getting married in October.  It's been INSANE.  I've never been so stressed in my life.  However, it's done and while the were some nights I didn't sleep as well, I'm glad we did it this way.  My relationship with FI has grown coniderably as a result and he's been an amazing support for when I feel like everything is going to come crashing down around me. 

libby2483

We closed on our house a month before our wedding.  It was stressful, but I'm really glad that we did it.  The key for us was to just focus on things one at a time.  We'd decide that we'd look at houses on Saturday and do something wedding-related on Sunday, but we made sure we weren't trying to do too much at once.

mrsb53

Ven&Radio said:

Buying a home was the most stressful thing I've ever done in my life.  Personally, I wouldn't have wanted to do it at the same time as planning a wedding.  Many people do it though -- just be prepared for a lot of stress, money spending, and decision making.  Owning a home is totally worth the stress, though!

Me too! I closed on my house in February and am still dealing with unreliable insurance agents. It is ridiculously frustrating, but ultimately, worth the stress. I couldn't do it while planning a wedding though...

I would recommend finding an apartment to rent with your future hubby, and stay in that for a year (or however long) until you find a house you want to buy, and deal with it at that time.

TT Bride 13

Last year, we were planning a wedding, house hunting, had an unplanned pregnancy that ended up being a miscarriage and I started a new job at a hospital. Yes, it got a bit stressful at times, but it was also a whole lot of fun too. Don't be afraid to ask for help, especially with the wedding and make sure you have an awesome realtor. Ours was amazing. The only trouble we had was with the stupid mortgage company but he handled most of that. Try not to get too stressed out. Sit back and take a breather if you need it, get away for a day or two if you have to. But have fun while you are at it. You are doing two of the most exciting things in your life, enjoy it!!

J9lawrence

We bought our house just before we got engaged.  Honestly, for us, house hunting/buying was a breeze!  We agreed on a lot more things about the house than we have the wedding.  Whatever you decide, have fun with it!  It is such an exciting time!

LincolnElizabethH

We put a deposit down on a new construction home (to be completed Oct 17) without having our current house sold. We got our house ready for sale in April/May, put it up for sale the first weekend in June, sold it within 24 hours (thank goodness!). We have to be out next weekend (Sep 15), and we have a wedding to attend on the Friday night. We are staying at a friend's duplex in a very bad area of town for the month until our home is ready. Assuming all goes well we get possession Oct 17 and then I have a month until our wedding, Nov 16, to finish all the last minute things... Yes... It's stressful... But I'm SO looking forward to our new home and getting married and having Xmas in our new house that I am looking past all of that. Good luck with everything!