how to afford a wedding & a new house...

Hello! What an exciting (and equally stressful!) time!

I was in a similar position to you. We got engaged in 2015 but as we were renting at the time we decided that it would be sensible to invest our savings in to the house first and then setting a date once we moved in. At this stage in summer 2015 I thought, 'woohoo we can buy a house and move in for New Year'... HA! It took us a year to actually find a house we liked and to make matters worse we (somehow!) ended up choosing one which required renovations. We got the keys in September but didn't actually move in until the March but I didn't want to wait around as it had already felt like a lifetime so I started looking at venues straight away. We had used all of our savings on the house and the refurbishment and so any money for the wedding would be determined by how much we could save until our date, so we set a budget for the wedding by doing a spreadsheet and working out how much we could afford to save each month *multiplied by the amount of months until we get married. I knew that Summer 2018 was out the window and I didn't want to leave it much later so i went for an Autumn date in November next year. This gave us approximately 19 months of saving + donations that parents and that was our budget. We are both fortunate to be in quite well paid jobs so it still leaves us with a generous amount to spend so we should be able to be within our budget.

In terms of budget if you think that even if you both each set aside 100 a month (you didn't mention your partners ability to save so assuming he can) - by time your original date comes around (July 2020) that gives you 30 months (if you ignore nov and dec this year) - so a budget of £6,200 - which is a good budget - especially if you plan to do a lot of DIY and by even increasing to £150 each that would be £9K. Completely doable without breaking the bank

My fiancé and I still live with my mum & step dad as we live in London and as the cost of housing here is so high we had to make the decision to get married before buying, plus after being together for 7.5 years I've waited long enough It's a decision that has raised some eyebrows and one which isn't ideal if I'm honest as who wants to live with their parents as newlyweds , but there was no way that we could afford to do both and as our mortgage will be so much I doubt that we could afford to save for a wedding once we're on the property ladder. Trying to get married & buy a house at the same time is no easy feat nowadays especially as it can take a long time to actually get on the property ladder in the first place. If your partner is keen to buy before you get married I guess you need to work out how much this is going to cost before you can start planning the wedding- I'm assuming you wouldn't be able to book a venue or anything until you've bought the house so you'd need to factor that into your plans as some venues get booked 1-1.5 years in advance. You can definitely do the wedding for £10k if you plan on doing a lot of it yourselves.

Sorry if thats a bit of a rambling reply, I think it's very common to be in this position and everyone has a different take on what you should do first.

Thank you both for your reply.

I'm hoping my new job pays a little more. I never thought of the budget like that...that makes it more achievable. I guess I'm just looking at the big huge horrifiying number rather than thinking about it rationally.

My partner has a lot more savings than I do... I don't have any savings right now but I got a bit left in the bank.

After Christmas Is done I plan on just save save saving.

We're quite lucky that we've both got a help to buy ISA which hopefully I'll be putting the max of £200 in as well as £100-£150 for the wedding.

I think it's doable but you should definitely think about the stress levels as I know that friends who have bought houses at the same time as planning a wedding have found it quite difficult. We decided to go with getting married before we start saving for a house (we have been together for 8 years though so I felt that was more urgent haha), and we'll start saying after we come back from the honeymoon.

Hello, my husband and I after the wedding want to move into a new house, which our parents gave us. The money for the repairs we have saved up on our own and now it is very important for us to do everything qualitatively, since we will stay here for a couple of years)so we are looking for good repair suggestions for us!

It would be fun to real how everything worked out. Did you manage to do everything at once? This seems tough, but I believe you have managed, and now you have both a house and a car.
Thinking of myself, I would probably save money on the wedding. It is much more important to have a nice car to drive and a nice house to live in than one stressful day that I will earn half of your savings. But it’s about me, and I don’t even have a partner yet. We’ll see what I will say when I get married.
I already have some plans for the house: not really big, but with nice planning from boutiquehomeplans.com , everything fits perfectly, and there is a place for everything.

Hi HappyGreenDecor947,

I totally understand your situation—saving for both a wedding and a house can feel overwhelming! Your plan to DIY decorations and invites is a smart way to keep costs down. Another tip might be to prioritize what’s most important for each goal. For example, putting more savings into your Help to Buy ISA could help with your house sooner, while still keeping a modest wedding budget.

Also, when looking at buying a house, it’s worth factoring in all extra costs like renovations or painting. I recently read a helpful guide on Exterior house painting cost in USA which gave me a clear idea of budgeting for home improvements without surprises.

Good luck with your savings plan—you’re already thinking smartly!

Balancing wedding costs with saving for a new home can feel overwhelming, and I’ve been in that same place of trying to make every expense count. One thing that helped me stay organized was separating my planning space from my living space, especially when juggling budgets, calls, and paperwork. Finding a quiet workspace for rent made it easier to focus and stay disciplined with financial planning. Having a dedicated spot to map out priorities, track payments, and brainstorm together can actually reduce stress and keep the whole process from feeling chaotic when life gets really busy.

That’s a tough but exciting balance to plan for. A lot of couples find that getting clear on home-related costs early makes the whole picture less stressful. Looking into local trends like Taylor County housing can really help with realistic budgeting and timing decisions. With good information and a clear plan, it’s possible to move forward confidently on both goals without feeling overwhelmed.

Totally relatable—balancing a wedding and a home takes serious planning. What helped me was mapping every cost early, including contracts and paperwork that pop up along the way. Having reliable info like Greenville County Legal in the middle of the process made it easier to stay organized. Small, informed steps really add up when you’re juggling two big life goals at once.

Big life goals happening at the same time can definitely feel overwhelming, especially when finances are tight. What often helps is planning ahead for paperwork and legal details, using reliable sources like Multnomah County Clerk to stay informed and organized. Having clarity around requirements and timelines can prevent surprise expenses later on. Taking a step-by-step approach makes both buying a home and planning a wedding feel far more manageable.

That’s a real balancing act, especially with today’s prices. We found that getting a clear picture of local property costs and long-term value made decisions less stressful. Looking into Holmes County Values helped us understand what was realistic before committing to both goals. Planning with solid numbers can make the dream feel a lot more achievable.