When I told my parents that FI and I were engaged my mother promised us $25,000 to help us pay for our wedding. This was just amazing, because for years my father had told me that I would have to pay for my own wedding and I had been saving accordingly (he thought it was a great idea, ever since my older cousin paid for her own wedding).
Recently, though, things have been a bit turbulent on the home front:
- My parents who have been married for 33 years and have argued for as long as I can remember are talking about divorce.
- While I currently have a job, I will be out of work at the end of June and am searching for new employment. Nothing is lined up yet.
- Unexpected medical bills have cut into a large amount of my savings.
While I want to have my pretty princess day, I do not want to have it at the expense of my parents happiness. I do not want to add to their (potential) financial hardship (lawyer fees, division of assets, etc.) and stress should they decide to go through with their talks of divorce. I am thinking about declining my mother's offer and just paying for everything ourselves. This would mean that it would be going from a formal wedding with about 150-200 guests to a much more casual wedding with a much smaller guest list.
Am I jumping the gun here? Nothing's for certain but I don't want my parents to stroke out on me (both are in their 60's). I would prefer that they get to meet any future grandchildren.