A successful marriage is the result of many factors, including love, respect, and compatibility. If you want to make your marriage financially strong as the wedding season approaches, there are a few things to keep in mind. It is advisable to understand your spouse's financial situation before getting married. It's also a good idea to understand how your partner manages money before you get married. Understand their financial and spending habits. If one person is a big spender and the other is a miser, then you may have to face difficulties while moving forward.
10 Financial Mistakes to Avoid Before Getting Married
Having Difficulty Deciding on a Wedding Budget
Creating a budget may seem easy, but it can be difficult to implement. Often it costs more than what you decide to spend on the wedding. You'll need to do some research on all of the costs associated with organising your wedding, identify areas where you can cut costs, determine your current financial situation, and finally create an overall budget for your wedding. It's hard to take the first step. However, this will save you from huge debts and liabilities.
The lack of prior investment
You can raise funds for your wedding in advance by investing wisely in financial instruments such as mutual funds, SBGs, or gold itself. Use high-yielding investments such as some SIP plans that offer returns of up to 28%. Proactively looking for such valuable investment options can be very helpful in raising money for wedding expenses.
Excessive spending
Everyone wants their wedding day to be special and memorable. Those who are going to get married may have to give a good opinion. But one of the biggest mistakes newlyweds make is spending too much on tripping up others over their own joys and needs. Taking a loan or using a retirement fund for this is a big financial mistake.
Financial responsibility is not shared.
There is no point in spending alone. It is important to be clear about the financial obligations of both. Right from the beginning you have to talk about sharing of all the costs and set clear criteria for bearing the cost. If this is not done then having a wedding and dealing with the associated money can become very stressful.
It is advisable to prepare a detailed budget and discuss it with everyone who will pay for the wedding. Making an excel document that includes a list of expenses and giving it to everyone will help create clarity.
Don't keep track of your expenses
Before you spend even a penny on your dream wedding, create at least a basic spreadsheet to monitor your budget. Keeping track will help prevent many difficulties and possible fights in the future, and you don't have to be very financially astute to do this! It is enough to write down in a book the amount spent and why it was spent.
Last-minute bookings
If you don't book pre-scheduled vendors for wedding decorations, caterers, florists, etc., you may not get what you need at the last minute. Also, you will have to pay two or three times the rent for emergency booking.
When organising your wedding, for all intents and purposes, the earlier you make reservations, the better. When you reserve in advance, you're more likely to get a discounted price. This way, you can choose a vendor that fits your budget by asking for their price from multiple vendors.
Quick decisions in wedding planning
The hasty decisions made by the couple for the wedding day's celebrations lead to some financial mistakes that they make. Any major purchases you make on your special day, such as your wedding gown, cake, decorations, musicians, live band, venue, and other large items, should be considered. Avoid putting pressure on yourself to buy something you don't need. Make sure you and your partner are on the same page.
Buy things instead of renting
Buying the things you need instead of renting them out can lead to huge expenses and a lot of unnecessary material left over after the wedding. The best course of action is to buy and keep some of the most emotional or important things. It is advisable to give up the desire to buy everything yourself for the wedding and rent everything that will not be needed later.
Ignoring the fact that marriage is about you
Everyone wants their special day to be free of family disputes, but remember that your wedding is your day. Avoid any suggestion, no matter how well-intentioned, if it doesn't feel appropriate to you or doesn't fit in your budget.
No contract with vendors
Couples will try to save money on their wedding celebrations by hiring friends or relatives for wedding services, so they don't have to wait for the contract to be made. Sometimes you can get discounts in the name of friendship. However, the lack of an agreement can cause problems in the future, possibly costing you extra money.