Should I wait to get married for financial reasons?

Question

My parents just moved 12 hours driving distance away. I have been with my boyfriend for a year and a half, and we've been discussing marriage. He wants to get married next year...

My parents don't have money, and I am a senior in college. I want a decent marriage ceremony, but I also don't want to wait to get married if its just for financial reasons.

Advice?

Answer 1

Well, you can definitely still get married but not have such a large wedding. Do something simple like make your own decorations or once you graduate which you will be doing shortly, make a lot of money and save your heart out. If you don't have enough money by the time you would like to get married wait another year until you both have enough money saved for the wedding you would like. Take care :)

Answer 2

Me and Hubby delayed our wedding for a year so that we could afford to have the ceremony we wanted without going into debt.  Our opinion was that we only got one wedding day, so we wanted it to be something to remember.  

Do I think it was worth it?  Absolutely.  

Did it make any difference (other than the ceremony, obviously)?  No.  The only thing it affected was the number of years we’ve been married.  Instead of saying, “We’ve been married 20 years” we’d be saying “We’ve been married 21 years”

Answer 3

You can plan a nice ceremony on a small budget; be creative. You don't have to have a reception (which is where most of the $$ gets sunk into) - just pick a nice place to get married and invite your closest family and friends, then go out to dinner. But if you have certain "must-haves" that you're not willing to give up, then you will just have to wait until you can afford it. It's all about deciding the relative importance of "having a wedding" vs "being married".  

Answer 4

wait until you're done with college and that both of you have secure jobs and income.

Answer 5

You could do a small wedding and plan to renew your vows with a larger ceremony when you have the money.  Good luck to both of you!

Answer 6

You should definitely begin your career, and start making money before you go off to get married. The first priority you should be putting ahead of you right now is your career, not love. You cannot survive on love, frankly.