Who’s Paying for Your Wedding: Important Things to Consider

Imagine your future mother in law walks up to you and says, “Don’t worry about the wedding. We’re going to cover it all as a gift to you and our son.” Your first thought might be that it’s wonderful! You can have the wedding of your dreams and you won’t have to worry about the financial struggle it could potentially cause. Before you get too excited, consider the following points:

Loss of Control

There’s an unspoken truth in the world of weddings, and that is whoever pays for the wedding has control of the wedding plans. What this means is that if your in-laws or your parents are paying for the wedding, they’re going to feel more entitled to plan the wedding, and this can mean that you lose control to plan the wedding you truly want. You have to think about the conditions you will have to live with if someone else pays for your wedding, and whether you can handle that or not.

Making Your Budget Smaller

If you don’t want anyone else to pay for your wedding, but you’re nervous about the financial stress it could place on you and your future spouse, you might want to make your budget smaller. This may mean that you don’t get everything you dreamed of, but sometimes compromise is necessary. Look for ways to save money as you plan your wedding, so you can have at least most of the things you want.

Waiting

If you don’t want to compromise as far as budget goes, but you still want to have total control of your wedding, you may want to think about pushing back the wedding date. This isn’t any future bride’s idea of a good time, but sometimes it may be necessary. Being able to save more money will ensure that you can have exactly what you want.

Have a Frank Discussion

If you do decide to let someone else pay for your wedding or parts of your wedding, have a frank discussion with that person. Let them know how appreciative you are of their offer to help, but make sure they understand that you have very specific likes and dislikes and you want to do things your way. Make sure it won’t be a problem during the planning phase if you allow them to help pay for your wedding.

By considering these things first, you can make sure no trouble arises while you’re planning your big day!