Hi all!
I'm newly engaged and really excited to join the married community! I need some outside advice though, because my family is obviously biased for having a big wedding. My fiancé wants whatever I want, so he is also no help lol. Here is my dilemma. I would love to have the large wedding of my dreams, with all of the pretty little details and farmhouse tables (everything is pretty much planned, I even have my invites picked out), but I can't justify spending thousands of dollars for one day, when I still have student loans, we don't own a home and I still have a crappy car. All in all, a bigger wedding of my dreams wouldn't cost that much (around $12,500 - not including a honeymoon), at least compared to the American average, but that amount could dissolve most of my student loans, it could get me a more reliable car, or be apart of a down payment towards a house. Saving up the money also isn't the problem, especially since we have set a date for September 2020. I think if I had 2 of the 3 things listed taken care of, then I wouldn't even blink and eye and I would just move forward with my dream wedding. My mother-in-law and her sister keep saying, "if it's only because of money, then that's not a good reason to not have the wedding of your dreams." But again, it's not that we can't afford it. It comes down to where that money will be the most use for us. Either we use it for a wedding that lasts for one day and is really for our guests than for us, or being able to use it to pay off my loans or make a real estate investment. I'm extremely torn. I don't want our wedding to be about the money and ultimately I just want to be married to my best friend. As long as our closest friends and family are there, I'll be happy, but I also get a excited when I think about all of the wedding planning and details for a larger wedding. HELP!!!!