Things are all getting so real. Tomorrow, we will be counting down the days in single digits. A week from today, we will be driving to New Orleans to begin taking care of things (marriage license, paying vendors, etc.) and meeting up w/ friends and family who have made the long journey to come share in our happiness. Then come the days and nights of dinners, seeing shows, and having fun. Then we get married (!!!) and then fly to PR for a week of decompressing and having fun together.
Yesterday morning, I mailed off a check to the reception/ceremony venue to pay off the balance of what we owe them. That was the biggest check I’ve ever written in my life. It was weird. We’ve paid off most all of our balances, all the while paying off our debts, and at the end of all of this, we most likely (cross your fingers) will not accumulate a penny of wedding-related debt. Anyone who says you have to blow tons of money and go into debt to have a wedding is stupid. We’ve had to work at it, but in the end, it’s been good for us.
Scott, although obsessive at times, has been great in keeping us on track and it’s good to see that he actually cares about our financial situation and wants us to start off right. So many couples end up with stacks of bills to pay and it creates a strain on the marriage. We have worked very hard together to be disciplined with our spending and we’ve even created an “after the wedding” budget to figure out our total income, expenses, projected savings, and what amount of money we both get to play with. I am so, so glad we did this.
In other news, we thought Brubeck had developed mange again. He was biting and licking his paws to the point they were balding again. We were really upset, because it has to be miserable for him, and we really don’t need another $200 vet bill a week before the wedding. As it turns out, he has a food allergy, so I’m leaving work here in a bit to go dog food shopping. No more cheap shit for him. It’s worth it.
It’s really exciting hearing about all this stuff.
I agree with you on the “blowing tons of money” thing.
I’ve seen a lot of couples spend a LOT of money to throw a huge wedding and end up with tons of debt and fighting over the whole thing.
Aishah and I kept things super simple.
Our total expenses were around $325 and we provided a lot of great food for all the guests and had exactly the wedding that both of us had envisioned.
I had a massive case of wedding burnout from my days of doing wedding photography and she had a massive case of “what the hell for?” after seeing family members spend a year’s salary on a wedding.
So for us, less was more. 🙂
Less is definitely more. If it’s not meaningful, it’s not worth any amount of $.
Congrats on being in the single digits. Good luck with everything. It sounds like you both have put a lot of time and effort into the wedding, and it’s smart to not dig yourself into debt just for a party. I’m excited to see pictures!
I will definitely have pics!!!