Should i cancel my wedding because of money issues?

I'm kind of in your boat... I just switched to a credit card with a higher limit so we can finish paying for things. I also know- not great. However my thought process is, canceling it last minute won't get you back any of the money already spent. You may as well go through with it at this point to get what you've paid for, as long as theres a way for that to happen. Can you get approved for a credit card and put things on that? Find one with like a year of 0% interest, and after the wedding put your tail into gear and start getting it paid off. My FMIL gave us a similar amount in cash, so we're using that for vendors who only take cash, and vendors who accept credit are getting put on the card. Again, I know this isn't ideal but if its the only option... its worth considering.


Scale back EVERYTHING you can from here forward- if there are decorations you haven't bought yet, skip them. Skip getting nails done, and makeup if you haven't already paid for the contract.

If it were me, I would cut your losses and cancel. Unless you are able to with 100% certainty secure the necessary funds over the next few days for the event to proceed, you risk increasing your potential liabilities as the wedding draws closer and I think the most responsible decision would be to cancel, take the losses for what they are and either elope or have the wedding you want at a later date when it is financially feasible.

Don't buy into the "sunk cost fallacy". I would count the money already paid as lost, and cancel the rest. You'll be better doing that than taking out high interest loans or credit cards. It's not worth going into debt for one day. I would offer to pay the wedding party back for any expenses incurred.

You could rebook something within your budget for another time.

I mean everyone is different. Personally we’re putting what we cant pay for on credit cards and we know certain amounts of money we are getting from certain family members so we’ve done the calculations and know we’ll only have a few thousand dollars to pay off which we can do over the course of a few months. I guess you’ll have to decide if the debt is worth it to you, how much it’ll be and if you make enough to pay it off in a reasonable amount of time. I wouldn’t listen to anyone else’s opinions on “not going into a marriage with debt” or whatever your family has to say

Instead of canceling the wedding, scale back. Have your ceremony and reception at the local park with either cake and coffee or have your favorite local restaurant do drop off catering. You can make it work.

Yikes! This is a difficult decision. How much money has already been paid vs. how much is still owed? What do your venue and vendor contracts say (some would still require full payment because it is so close to the wedding date)? What impact will this have on guests (plane tickets, etc.)?

I mean, the simple fact is you have things to pay for that you cannot pay for, right? so, If you don't cancel, will have vendors waiting for a payment that you don't have? Idk how you got this far, and I'm sorry you felt the need to get a loan to make your wedding work. You can have a beautiful wedding with the budget that you can afford.

1. Unless you simply are missing things that are not 100% necessary like decor, day of planner, videography, OR

2. you haven't booked large vendors like photography and food, I would cancel immediately.

If 1, can you afford what's left without these extra expenses? If not, cancel.

If 2, can you find large vendors in a budget that you can afford? If not, cancel.

Your family probably isn't keen to help now because it's not right of you to ask them for thousands of dollars less than a month before your wedding. I'm sorry and I really hope this works out for you.

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There's a reason your loved ones harp on this. Financial issues are one of the top reasons for failed marriages, and to go thousands of dollars into debt for one day of celebrations with loved ones who truly just want to be with you is silly. NO judgement from me, whatsoever, so I hope that doesn't come off rude! Just food for thought.

View Quoted Comment That’s true! Didn’t come off as rude. Maybe it’s just because neither of us are really “close” to our families so we really consider it none of their business. I just think it’s up to the couple on whether it’s worth it. We personally think it is as we know what we’ll have left to pay off, we’ve had some family help, know a certain amount we’re already getting from family as a gift at the wedding and know our incomes and what we generally spend in a month for bills etc. So we know when we’ll be able to pay it off. And also know yourselves. If finances is something you have argued over then maybe it’s not a good idea! In 8 years we’ve never argued about finances and what we spend so we know having this debt won’t cause tension for us. I mean spring next year we’re taking out a big loan to buy an RV and trading in his car for a new truck while still having to pay rent lol. So for us finances aren’t an arguing point. We just super make sure we’re confident in our decisions. We also sort of left our families in the dark to avoid getting harped on lmao. My mother has a general idea on what the wedding will cost but not totally. However I understand family being concerned obviously! Debt isn’t something to take lightly. We both have school debt so it’s important to really think on it and be sure about your decisions. Everyone is different you know? Everyone has a different opinion on what’s silly and what’s not. I just think you should trust your gut on what you decide to do and know yourselves and your relationship. I mean “you” in general

I think this depends on what and who you owe still. Are there “extras” (flowers, cake, hair, makeup, videography, entertainment, etc.) that can be cancelled and make it affordable? If not, the reality is you are going to have to cancel. You need to make a decision and let guests know ASAP though, because at a month out people are going to be making arrangements (if they haven’t already). If you were to postpone, how long would it take you to save the money you need? Many vendors are flexible and will allow you to transfer your deposits to a future date (where if you cancel you will be forfeiting all that money). Have any of your guests made travel arrangements yet? Hotel accommodations can be cancelled with no penalties, but flights usually carry a penalty for changes.

I think Michelle has a great idea. IF you can cover some of it. If you can't, then it's still not great.

I have no idea what you have booked, but you could look at reserving a local park. Those are often free or with a small reservation fee. And you could cancel your venue. If you have full catering, you could cancel and just order some drop off catering from a local restaurant. They put it on a table with warmers, and bam, it's a buffet. Flowers could be scaled back, depending on your contract with your florist. And any extras can be cancelled, likely with deposits lost, but that's better than paying more when you can't afford it.

I know trying to re-plan it is going to be painfully stressful, but if your options are a) default on a bunch of contracts or b) have your entire family stop talking to you, then I think creating a third option, even if it's not what you envisioned sounds like the best path forward.

If you're legit worried about your family still being upset with a scaled down version after they helped pay for some things, you should talk to them. This doesn't seem like a situation that will solve itself.

Best of luck! I'm happy to help brainstorm other solutions. I cannot imagine being this close and running into these issues.

I would not cancel. I would just go thru everything and cut it down. Food have appetizers no liquor take your own pics. Pic a Playlist and let the music go. Do your hair and makeup etc. Good luck I hope it works out and you don't have to cancel.

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This does sound judgy to me even though you stated NO JUDGEMENT. This person is just asking for advice. No one knows someones life challenges.. Things happen that are beyond people control sometimes. And if you can't afford something that doesn't mean they weren't able to in the beginning. THINGS HAPPEN. For example i am in the same boat. My wedding is 6 months away and we are very overwhelmed finacially. By reading this has nothing to do with her relationship so I resent the comment made about 'reason for FAILED marraige's' Just because they don't have money for the wedding doesn't mean they don't have money. I just hate how families and friends expect you to do so much for a day that is honestly YOUR DAY and not there's.