I've been engaged to my fiance since Christmas of this past year (Xmas 2012 
). We planned a long engagment before he even popped the question. We want to be smart and be more financially sound before we say I do. My younger brother recently proposed to his girlfriend of 5 years. Of course everybody is very happy and very excited. We have not set a wedding date yet and they are still enjoying the new bling bling bliss. One of the first things out of my Mother's mouth is "you can't get married the same year as your sister-that's just not right to do for everybody's finances!" My poor future sister in law came to me very overwhelmed. She feels like my family is jumping down her throat. Why the hell is anyone telling them when they can and when they cannot have a wedding?! Don't worry about it! They will figure it out on their own. The following day my fiance and I were talking to our father about the new job that we both got (its an at home position that pays way more then our current jobs and includes us working as a team). We mentioned that we might set our date for next year (2014) since we'll have the extra money to save up for over a year. And then he jumped down our throats about "what we agreed on." He said no wait until 2015 cuz I won't have the money to give you. I was furious.
Obviously weddings cost a lot but we don't expect anyone to pay for it if they cannot. We don't expect anybody to give us any money period! If they want to and can, then great! But if not, we're not holding it against anybody. We don't want anything extravagent. It's going to be a lot of DIY as I'm a seamstress, crafter, artist, floral designer, you name it I've done it and can do it well. I just understand where people get off making it about their fiances (once again I understand that they just want to help us but we don't want anybody's money if it's going to hurt them financially) and what they think is best for us to do.
It is OUR wedding! Not theres. Why does everyone feel the need to give us their opinion on what is best/when we should get married/when my brother and his fiancee should get married/etc?! I'm not getting married so it can be conveinent for everybody else, I'm getting married because I found the man I want to spend of my life with. Instead of celebrating and being happy everyone is making it about the materialistic stuff. I'd rock a $100 dress and still be happy with what we have together. Isn't that the point?!
Why does everybody think that we want to hear their opinion and don't the realize that this isn't their wedding?
PS. Just wanted to point out that I'm 26 and my fiance is 32. We're good people with good heads on our shoulders. My little brother is 24 and his fiancee is 25, they are saving up to buy a house in 2015 so logically probably won't get married until the following year.