Wedding vs. House

[ChibiFelicia]

For us we'll have a modest wedding and put the rest towards a house. We'll rent in the beginning but i'll want to get out of that asap. The convienence of renting does not outway the cost for me. I've had my own place for the last 4 years and yes its a hassle, and when something breaks (e.g. my heaters broken, it's gonna cost me a fair bit to fix it *sad face*) it takes me a while to save up money to pay for it but it's mine. To be fair i've never personally rented, my parents have always drummed into me and my siblings head to buy, only rent if you really can't help it. Well when i move to the states it'll be different, we'll have to rent, i wont have the deposit for a house.

[floridaellen]

Playing devils advocate here but you have your whole life to get married you kinda need a place to live, and apartments are more expensive in the grand scheme of things. Wouldn't you much rather already have a place so that you can save up the tons of money you feel like blowing for a wedding and so you have a real home to go home to after the wedding/honeymoon?

There are a lot more memories that can be made in your own personal house than the one day a wedding lasts.

I didn't really convey my post adequately - a little tired!

1. I don't think buying a house right after I get married is a good idea. I will not be firmly placed into my career until I'm about 30 and do not want to wait that long to get married. It's not smart in the state I will live in (New Jersey) to buy a home without being firmly placed into your career, mostly because New Jersey has a very high cost of living and I can't afford it! My brother just bought a home (the cheapest he could find - $200,000) after working in his field for two years and it is still going to be very hard on him to make the payments. If I stayed in Florida which has a cheaper cost of living, I would probably look to own first but that will probably not be the case.
2. I do not plan on having a huge wedding. It's not my style. But I will be spending a good amount of money because, again, New Jersey is a very expensive place to get married in. However, my parents are quite traditional and will be helping me pay for it, even though I would never ask them to do that. They want to.
3. I don't have any issue with renting for awhile. I'm not sure where I'm going to end up in the state (I may even move to PA) so why should I buy right off the bat? Plus my parents own a house which they rent out (my brother rented an apartment in it for a long time) so I would probably rent from them. They would give me a break on the rent in exchange for me managing the property and other apartment for them once they move to FL for good.
4. Owning a home is hard work. I take care of my parent's home in FL (they live in NJ) and it's amazing how much work it takes.

I have to stop here - off to church.

[snow_girl]

Perhaps you can find some middle ground, have a nice wedding but instead of going with the most expensive things find a cheaper alternative. I always see articles in magazines with two almost identical outfits but one is 1000's of dollars cheaper cause it isn't brand names. Anyway thats kind of what I mean and with whatever money you can save put towards a house.

[LoveJ]

Honestly, if it were me, I'd put the money into the house. A wedding lasts one day and while a big wedding gives you big memories, it's also over in just a few hours. And you're probably going to remember how you felt moreso than what the centerpieces looked like, so why put more money than necessary into a one night party when it'd feel the same as if you did something smaller?

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I just really can't justify spending $10,000+ on weddings, rings, etc. It's not about the bling and it's not about the party, it's about the love. And in a house, you can have a place, just for the two of you, to let that love grow.

[Katelyn313]

I would also put as much money as I could into the house. Dylan and I will be moving into my family's home next year. I will be the 5th generation to live there. (It's fairly big and as of the time we move in, my mother will be in the garden apartment with her own separate entrance and bathroom and living space). We haven't discussed this in detail yet, but he has said he'd be happy with going to the court and getting married and then putting as much money as we can into fixing up the house the way we want it (It was built in 1940).

As far as the wedding, you can definitely compromise on wedding things to save money...silk flowers instead of real...buffet style instead of sit down...only close family and friends instead of everyone you've ever known...a pretty dress instead of a wedding gown...

My one thing I want at whatever style of wedding Dylan and I choose to have are pictures. I will not compromise on pictures. I want as many as I can have on our day. You only get that one day to do it, preserve as many memories as you can. And if that means getting disposable cameras (old school) and handing them out to the family and saying, Snap away! then so be it. Who knows what they'll be able to capture? Or enlisting the help of a photographer from a nearby college and agreeing to be part of their portfolio if they give you a discount... or asking a friend? All viable options.

Good luck in whatever you decide and in your lives together!!

[LoveL]

No question. House.

Weddings can be pretty and memorable without spending $30,000.
It's no contest.