Loan to for pay the wedding???

Keep in mind too, that 401 k money is money that gets bigger every year because of the interest. If you've managed to save it, keep it saved.

Make a budget. Call around and ask for prices. Increase what they tell you by at least 10%. Create your guest list. Do the math and create your budget. Divide it by the amount of time between wedding and now.

Go to the bank and create a special wedding account. Start putting the money that you need to save into said wedding account.

No one day is worth going into debt for!

No, no, no, NO to the loan!!!

Sit down with your FH and figure out how much you both feel comfortable spending on your wedding. Look around at average prices of vendors in your area to get an idea of how much you can anticipate spending. Find out if anyone else is planning on contributing financially. Then, use that as your budget for planning your wedding. You may find you have to scale back on certain aspects (such as having 150 guests instead of 250, not serving the most expensive menu item, etc.), but don't go into debt over your wedding.

Make a budget. Figure how much you need to save. We are depleting our savings, putting tax reutrns aside, and putting away 400 a month to pay for our 15k budget. Any gifts we receive are likely to replenish our savings. Do not get a loan, especially if you are planning to buy a house. Besides interest, fees, etc. You are running you debt to income ratio up and risk ruining your chances at buying. No wedding is worth that.

No loan, no pulling from 401 k. Pay for what you can afford

My FH was adamant on not going into a debt over a wedding. Ours is his second and he said he was paying off his wedding even after they'd separated! Our engagement is 19 months and while it seems long it's the only way we're able to afford what we want and we're still cutting corners. Have the wedding you can afford and you can save for, postpone as long as you need to in order to do so. You will not receive the amount of money in return you think u will.

I'm probably not the person to listen to, but we got married in November. I borrowed from my 401K and it's paid off. If you can do it in a reasonable period of time, go for it. If it will take you years to pay it off, then not such a wise choice.

Do not take out a loan to pay for your wedding! My FSIL and her husband had to take one out to pay for the rest of their wedding after her mother over invited guests. It took them 3 years to pay it off. FMIL told FH to do that, too, claiming that we will make that money back in gifts. We both said absolutely not. We refuse to go into debt for one day. It's ridiculous.

I will also second that anybody that I know that got married never even made half of what they spent back in gifts.

Do not take a loan! Do not empty your savings! We are spending/saving our residual income. Last thing you need is to be out of your savings or start your marriage with big debt. God forbid you have an emergency and find yourself in a bind for cash and jeopardizing your finances and your wedding. Good luck. Only spend what you can afford.

No to the loan. don't go into debt over a wedding. Plan the wedding you can afford, or save until you can afford the wedding you want. If you have a credit card with a good rewards or travelers points, use your credit card and pay the balance every month so you're not paying interest.

Unless, somehow, you're paying less interest on your loan than you get on your savings, don't make this move, cause you will end up paying more for the money you borrow than if you'd just used savings.

Oh God, NO. Do not take out a loan, do not borrow from your 401K. Stop getting advice from people who tell you that (I think you'll see an overall theme to these answers - pretty much everyone thinks it's a bad idea). There are brides from all over the budget spectrum on this site, and the vast majority of us agree that having the wedding you can afford is always the best plan. Would I like to have a $50K wedding with all sorts of cool stuff for my guests? Kind of, yeah. Do I realize that FH and I definitely can not and should not afford that? Yes, for sure. So I'm planning a wedding for under $15K, because that's what we can reasonably spend, and it will be gorgeous and fun! I've seen brides on here do budget weddings for $5K that look awesome! It's not about the cost...it's about the love and the fact that you're marrying someone you intend to spend your life with.

Please don't do it. I don't know anyone who has done this who didn't regret it. There's nothing wrong with a non-extravagant wedding that you can afford. It's the happiest day or your life, don't dampen it with a lingering debt. Take out a loan for a house, sure; but not your wedding day.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE ADVICE!!! talked to my fiance and folks and taking a loan doesnt make sense at all... Nor taking 401k sorry, that was extreme. If I was buying a house maybe but I'll gwt equity back, not on a single day event. We are re evaluating budget and where we are now. THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME REALIZE THAT WAS A BAD ADVICE. Glad I asked.

Thank you all for the advice and feedback. @Celia Milton, you always give sounds advice thanks so much! I anticipate your feedback when I post questions. Its much appreciated, and to everyone too. Wont borrow from 401k. Thats just asking for trouble... its not like im buying a house and getting equity back, its a day event and I dont think using my retirement $ for having a few hours of fun. Fiance and I will definitely review finances and budget and where we can save to make it work. @kitandkaboodle thanks too for presenting worst case scenario... we will be scaling down and re assessing what we can splurge and scrimp on instead.

18 month engagement. Making monthly payments on our venue (which is all inclusive) and then buying the other stuff little by little. We didn't want to use credit to have a party. We want to use our credit to buy a house in a few years.

Ready2marry keep asking for advice on where to find things you need at reasonable costs. If you need lots of ribbon or lace go to ebay etc. The ladies here will be happy to help you by suggesting places to check.

Ahh it is so refreshing to hear someone who was thinking about something not so good actually take the advice of WW! It will truly make your lives happier to not have to pay back a loan from your wedding and I think you're being really smart about it. There's definitely no such thing as a stupid question, but I love it when a bride actually listens to the collective good advice that people offer here on WW. Definitely consider making more posts to figure out ways to save on purchase, I've found some great deals through people on here (my florist for example was recommended to me on here and she was way cheaper than the other 3 florists I met with, and does amazing work). Also if you think you'll stay, consider changing your avatar picture so we can remember you easier!

I am so proud of you for the change of heart!

A loan would be ridiculous. It's one day.

We budgeted our wedding based on what we can afford. When the day is over, it will be paid in full. That's the kind of peace you want to have walking into marriage (because it's about the marriage, not about the wedding). Scale down where you need. The day will be beautiful because of the love you have not the money spent.

We are having a Sunday brunch and I can't tell you how many guests were like "OMG, I love that idea!" People who love you aren't sitting there judging how much it cost, they are just excited to be celebrating with you.

I got live flowers for the centerpieces but silk flowers for my bouquet and corsages (I want to keep my bouquet as a keepsake anyway and found a lady who did them and they look so gorgeous and real it's ridiculous!). Our venue is a country club that serves brunch on Sundays. My FH asked if they could do our private brunch buffet at the same time (since they will be making the food anyway....it's just a matter of scaling up) and they agreed and gave us a huge discount! Omelet and meat carving stations, salad and desert bar, servers, unlimited drinks and mimosas, the works...for less than most would pay for a plated dinner. You just have to be creative and ask.