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Mount Carmel Register
Wednesday, July 15 2015
I Do Be prepared when choosing popular months for weddings
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he season couples choose to get married can affect many aspects of their ceremonies and celebrations. Vendors are in high demand during popular wedding seasons like spring and summer. But those same vendors may be more flexible and less expensive during those times of year when fewer couples tie the knot. According to The Knot.com, a leading Web-based wedding resource, June, August, September and October are the most popular months for couples to say “I do,” while January, February and March are the least popular months to get married. Wedding dates can affect wedding costs considerably, and knowing this can help couples find the date that works best for them and their budgets. Value dates Tying the knot in the early part of the year can be a more budget-friendly option for cost-conscious couples. Prices for reception sites and vendors may be lower in January and March than during other times of the year.
However, February may not be so budget-friendly thanks to Valentine’s Day. December also may not garner significant discounts thanks to the holiday season, when vendors may be in high demand for holiday parties. Local events Even though certain months may not be in high demand for weddings, that doesn’t always mean they are the perfect time for couples to tie the knot. Popular local events, such as festivals, large-scale meetings and conventions, can intrude on wedding plans. Consult with a local chamber of commerce and local schools to see if any local events that might drive up the cost of your wedding are going on. Reunions or conventions can stretch nearby restaurants, hotels and reception sites pretty thin, leaving you with fewer options. Vary the time If you have your heart set on getting married during more popular months to tie the knot, then you may be able to save a bit here and there by being more flexible with the time and day you choose to make your vows.
Couples often choose a Friday or Saturday wedding because they believe it will make it most convenient for guests to attend. However, if you provide ample notice to guests, they may be able to take off a Thursday or even a Monday from work, making a Thursday or Sunday wedding a more doable option. If Saturday is still your
ideal day to walk down the aisle, think about having an early wedding ceremony followed by a brunch or lunch reception. You also can customize your wedding to be a cocktail party only, saving you some money. Have backup options Recognize that if you want to get married on a Saturday at the height of wedding
season, you may not get first choice on your venues and vendors. Have a list of service providers at the ready just in case your first choices are already booked. By understanding how dates and times can affect weddings, couples can make more informed decisions when planning their nuptials.
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Mount Carmel Register 7
Wednesday, July 15 2015
Simple solutions to save on your wedding
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Venue Perhaps no element of wedding planning is more open to negotiation than the venue where the reception will take place. Many couples now choose venues that can host both the wedding and the reception, and that can save couples the cost of booking two separate locations and transporting out-of-town guests from one location to another. Venues are typically open to negotiation with regard to the price per person for the reception, and few will not have some wiggle room built into their initial quote. If young children and teenagers will be attending the wedding, negotiate lower rates for their meals, as they won’t be drinking alcohol and therefore won’t cost the venue as much as adult guests.
ouples in the midst of planning a wedding often find themselves overwhelmed by the cost of such a meaningful yet expensive undertaking. The average wedding is as expensive as a new car or a down payment on a new house, so it’s no surprise many couples experience sticker shock when they first begin to negotiate with vendors. But as shocking as the cost of saying “I do” in front of family and friends can be, there are some tried-and-true ways to drastically reduce that cost without making the big day any less special. Guests Many couples save the most money by reducing the number of people they invite to their wedding. Couples who come from large families may not be able to cut family members from their guest lists without causing a significant stir, so such men and women can look for other areas to trim. Professional colleagues and old acquaintances who you no longer keep in touch with are unlikely to be offended if they don’t make the cut, and removing them from the guest list can save couples substantial amounts of money.
Location Where a couple decides to tie the knot will have a significant impact on their bottom line. Certain locales, such as large cities, are more expensive than others. Couples who come from small towns may benefit from tying the knot close to home, as vendors tend to charge less the further they are from large metropolises. Waterfront venues, regardless of which city they happen to be in, also tend to be more expensive than venues
with less impressive surroundings. Couples willing to sacrifice city lights and breathtaking views of the water are likely to find more affordable venues for ceremonies and receptions. Timing The timing of a wedding also affects a couple’s bottom line. Couples hoping to get married when wedding season hits its peaks, which is generally considered the months of May and June and then also late-September into October, can expect to pay
substantially more than couples willing to get married at other times of the year. Couples also can save money by choosing to get married on Friday or Sunday nights or Saturday afternoon, when many venues charge considerably less per person than they do on Saturday night, which remains the most popular night of the week to get married. The cost of a wedding is considerable, but couples can cut those costs if they’re willing to be flexible and negotiate with vendors.
How do most couples merge their finances?
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There’s no one-size-fits-all scenario that works for all couples when it comes to money management. Similarly, what worked for parents or grandparents may not necessarily be the right fit for couples today. It may take some time and trial and error for newlyweds or cohabitating couples to find a system that appeals to them. The following are a few ways for couples to approach their finances.
etting married means accepting change and combining two lives into one. After tying the knot, certain decisions and discussions are easier than others. Conversations about money may be one of the hardest topics for newly married couples to navigate. Couples are heading to the alter later than they did in generations past. In the United States, the average age of a first marriage is now 27 for women and 29 for men. That means couples are bringing several years of life experiences to their marriage and individuals are possibly leaving behind entirely autonomous lives. Many people have had a few years in the workforce and may have accumulated savings or, conversely, debt. Upon getting married, couples may have some questions as to how to handle financial issues, particularly if one person is contributing more to the household account than the other.
Separate but equal Some couples opt to continue on just as they had before they got married. That means maintaining separate banking accounts and pooling resources toward bills and other expenses. As long as the bills are getting paid, then maintaining separate accounts can work for some, particularly those who do not want to account for every purchase and want to maintain some financial freedom. This scenario can become problematic when couples are saving toward a larger goal, such as
a vacation, home or car. Each person may have different ideas on how to save and contribute toward the goal. Mine, yours and ours If you decide to pool your resources, there are still a handful of ways to can go about it. One way is to pool all of your assets and pay for everything out of a joint account. Another option is to maintain separate accounts but create a joint account for those larger, shared expenses. For example, you may open a house account, out of which your housing and childcare expenses are paid, but maintain separate individual accounts for personal expenses. This situation may work but only if the ground rules are established right away. Decisions on how much money to put into the shared account can be stressful. Does each person contribute equally or are contributions contingent on salary? Which purchases will be shared jointly, and which ones will individuals take care of on their own?
Lots of questions arise, and it may not make money management any easier. Combined accounts Combined accounts used to be the norm for married couples. The “what’s mine is your’s” approach may not be so easy to adopt, especially when couples spent so much time independently before the marriage. Couples who pool their resources should learn to accept each other’s spending habits. According to past census data, 32 percent of wives in 1960 were in the labor force so combined accounts were common and very often managed by husbands. But today the majority of homes are two-income households, so making all purchases out of a single joint account may not make as much sense as it did in decades past. Decisions about money turn up as relationships take new turns. Couples may need to modify spending and saving habits as relationships change.
Changing your last name
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parenting concerns may be easier when women take their husbands’ last names than when they don’t. But some brides still prefer to keep their maiden names or hyphenate those names with their husbands’ surnames. Some may view changing their names as sacrificing their personal identities, while others may want to hold on to a family name they are proud of. Interesting names also can be hard to give up. Brides who find taking their husband’s name would be a tongue-twister may prefer to forego this tradition. Very often women who occupy positions of prominence in their professions keep their maiden names, feeling that taking their husbands’ names will affect the cache they have built up thus far. Women uncertain of what to do in such situations can keep their maiden names professionally and still change their names legally. Changing one’s last name is a personal preference and a decision that couples should discuss together. Discuss the decision well in advance of the wedding so that both parties are aware of each other’s feelings on the subject before tying the knot.
hile many brides opt to take their husbands’ surnames upon tying the knot, over the years the popularity of such a decision has ebbed and flowed. Recent years have suggested the practice is once again gaining steam. A study published in Names: A Journal of Onomastics indicates that younger brides are more likely to embrace the tradition of taking their husbands’ names in marriage. According to the study, women who married between the ages of 35 and 39 were 6.4 times more likely to keep their maiden names than those who married between the ages of 20 and 24. Many brides view taking their spouse’s name as the natural transition from being a singleton to being a married woman. Other brides prefer they share the same last name as their future children, making the choice to take their husband’s name a logical decision. Some brides feel having the same last name as their husbands helps them feel more like a family. Changing one’s name also may make it easier to deal with various issues. Finances, travel and even
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