YOUR wedding can easily be much less expensive without you eloping. There’s a lot to be said for careful budgeting but unfortunately, approximately half of all weddings end up costing twice the budgeted amount; so, if you are going this route, you really have to watch your plan and not get carried away by expenses that are not important.
Focus on what really matters to the two of you and find ways to save on the rest.
As you plan your nuptials, many things don’t seem to work out and the money available is not equal to what you want to spend on your wedding day.
The solution which is so strong on your mind is getting a loan and all the expenses will be covered. It sounds like a good idea, nobody borrows to get rich, but to pay back.
In some countries they have bridal services that also give out loans to brides and grooms that really need it. They are called wedding loans but the procedure is always the same as obtaining other personal loans.
Every loan, either wedding or personal comes with consequences. A loan is given to people who have money, they want to be sure that you are able to pay back. One must have a job, stable business, house and car or any other surety.
Getting a loan to foot the wedding expenses is a very bad idea. Is it worth it honesty to put up your house or car on the line to finance this one day? Do not go that route. You will fail to go on a honeymoon because you have to pay for the loan, adjust eating times and the first three years no buying clothes. Your happiness is stolen, no peace of mind and sleepless nights.
Do not get a loan to please people that you have money, there is life after the wedding reception and the reality is that you need to live happily ever after.
Use the money available, don’t live working for the loan, enjoy your first days of your marriage, plan for the future and build a strong foundation for your marriage. You cannot invite the whole world even if you are a PF (public figure) it’s just for those who are so close to you, add value to your lives, family members and relatives.
Money is not a goal in itself but a means by which you can enjoy life more fully. A Loan for your nuptial should be avoided as much as possible. Put yourself in unnecessary stress, new marriage with many debts, how then shall you enjoy your marriage with a lot of loans to cover? However it’s okay to borrow under certain circumstances like to renovate your house in a way that adds to its resale value and for education, which is an investment in your future earning power. Don’t borrow to pay for a wedding this is not an emergency.
Go to the drawing board and come up with ways on how to make your wedding day special without leaving you with a bill that will only cause trouble over time.
By not getting a loan to foot your wedding budget it enables you to breathe more easily, get the pressure off you and helps enjoy your marriage.
I received two text messages from ladies asking the following questions. Is it normal when it comes to spiritual matters for a married person to dream of being engaged and putting on a wedding dress?
Having such dreams is as a result of being involved in weddings or watching a lot of wedding shows, reading your memorable wedding article and maybe if you never had one so it has weighed on your mind that’s why you are dreaming of being engaged and wearing a wedding dress.
I have heard about a myth that when you dream about a wedding then it’s either a divorce or funeral. It’s not true. We have regular readers who enjoy this column but they are married. My focus and livelihood is weddings and yet i am married and not planning to have another wedding anyway. It’s normal to dream about weddings and awaken the giant inside you to start planning weddings.
The other lady said, she is a born again Christian, right morals and ready for marriage but the problem is no man is proposing her for marriage. It pains her to see prostitutes having white weddings every weekend.
God is not a respecter of persons he loves the whole world that’s why the begotten son was sent to die for all. One would think prostitutes are getting married and yet it is a different story at the time of a white wedding, maybe they repented at the 10th hour.
The Bible records that a man shall leave his father and mother to be joined to his wife, this shows that your man has not done the leaving. Keep praying, day and night and celebrate with those that are celebrating and rejoice with those that are rejoicing.
He will answer in the way that he sees fit. The answer may not look like what you were imagining but it will be for your good. This kind of thinking leads to pride causes a person to despise others and prevents them from learning anything from God, so do not let pride in your achievements cut you off from God.
This is like the parable Jesus gave in Luke 18: 9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. In this illustration the Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: God l thank you that lam not like other men –robbers, evildoers, adulterers or even like this tax collector. But the tax collector stood a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Charles sent this email.
Hi mama l want to organise my wedding with a budget of K20,000 any ideas.
The first thing is to work with your fiancé to priories your spending because you may be able to reduce or eliminate some costs. Stay focused and work within the scope of the budget, some of you might be saying it’s easier said than done, but it is a vital thing to do. Make your budget as detailed as possible to avoid surprise costs.
The first thing on the list should be wedding gown, grooms attire, cake, venue, food, beverages, rings, décor, transport, invitation cards, MC, PA system, DJ and then with such money available the guest list should be below 250 inclusive of relatives.
It was a great pleasure to receive an email from a wedding coordinator.
Good morning, it’s very interesting to read this article (plan a wedding that is totally you) as the DJ and wedding coordinator, l have seen many examples of successful and failed ceremonies, the secret is the day passes.
Wedding is truly a dream which makes someone have sleepless nights, more especially when the day gets closer. The other most important items are the MC and PA system with good sound and music selections. Never to lock your mind, what is to play at your wedding because invitation is always wide.
Bright Bwalya.
Thank you, Bright for such an educative contribution. To all those who sent their questions keep reading this column. Continue buying Sunday times, I will talk about how to cut wedding costs to avoid being stressed and have a memorable wedding with the amount available. You will discover that you don’t need a loan or to borrow money from the flyers by night.
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