Wedding Loans: How to Finance Your Wedding Day in the 21st Century

According to a survey taken by The Knot, nowadays, couples should expect to pay around $22,500 for an average wedding. That’s a lot of money! No wonder some couples choose to go for an installment loan that will cover all their wedding expenses.

What are the main things you should consider when creating a wedding budget? What are the benefits of getting an installment loan for the big day, and what tips can you follow to ensure everything goes according to plan?

Here are all the answers.

An Average Breakdown of Wedding Expenses

First things first, you should make a list of all the things that you are going to need to pay for. Below you will find a breakdown of the potential wedding expenses and some percentages based on the industry’s averages.

Of course, you can adjust the numbers and always choose to leave out some of the things mentioned below if you want.

The reception venue will take around 18% of your budget (approximately $4,000); the food will also take around 18%.  The services of a photographer and videographer are about 10% of the budget.

Typically, couples spend around 8% of the total on each of these categories: drinks, décor, flowers, and music.

The wedding planner, wedding rings, transportation, invites, gifts, ceremony, cake, and beauty would require around 2-3% of each budget.

We have left out the honeymoon budget, as some couples are planning on going to the Maldives, while others will be happy with a local camp adventure. But, anyway, this is definitely another wedding expense that you would have to consider.

Unexpected Wedding Expenses

Unfortunately, not many people truly understand what goes into the cost of every category mentioned above. For example, the ‘cake’ part means that you would have to pay for the sugary treats, display table, cake topper, and cutting utensils. You might be asked to pay for the delivery as well.

The ‘unexpected’ part of the wedding expenses mentioned above usually includes any additional rentals (chairs, tables, etc.), tax and service fees, insurance, cleanup fees, vendor meals, a liquor license (if the venue or the caterer doesn’t provide one), delivery fees, and unexpected rentals (like heaters and umbrellas, for example).

Of course, wedding costs will vary a lot, and you can always choose to cross out the things that you find to be too 'extra.' But the truth is, weddings are, and always will be, expensive unless you decide not to celebrate at all.

Why Is It Important to Have a Wedding Emergency Fund?

Ideally, you would want to have an emergency fund that is at least as big as 5% of your budget.

No matter how well-planned your wedding strategy is, there will always be unexpected or overlooked expenses. And there is nothing worse than having to deal with various emergencies without having the money to do so.

Of course, you can try your best to avoid unexpected fees. Double-check your invoices and contracts for taxes and service fees, track every single expense, and ensure you know exactly what is included in the purchases.

Unfortunately, some things are out of your control, and having an emergency fund will help you feel much more relaxed on such an important day.

If you totally forgot about setting such a fund aside, an installment loan is one of the options that will help you cover any unexpected costs and the planned things that might sometimes require more than you actually have.

How to Save on Your Wedding Day

Thankfully, several useful tips will help you save a small fortune.

• Have an intimate wedding

The per-guest reception cost makes up a big chunk of your budget. If possible, try to make it a more intimate affair by inviting only your closest friends and relatives.

The downside of this option is that you are going to get fewer gifts, so make sure to list the pros and cons.

• Avoid Saturdays

If you have your wedding on a Friday, you’ll be able to save up to 30% of the venue cost. For those who want to go the extra mile, you can have your big day in the middle of the week and during the off-season. By the way, morning weddings are far less expensive as well.

• Ask for hourly rates

You would have to pay the photographer and videographer around 10% of your wedding budget. That’s understandable, as the pictures and videos are going to last you a lifetime.

But instead of hiring professionals for a full day, try asking them for their hourly rates. The chances are high that a videographer wouldn’t be needed for ten hours straight. So, why not hire him for only a few hours (during the ceremony and the beginning of the reception)?

• Consider ‘station’ meals

A lot of us are tired of traditional four-course sit-down dinners. This is your chance to change things up a bit and save a few thousand bucks along the way. You can go for a buffet or special food stations so that the guests can pick whatever they want whenever they feel like it.

• Hold the ceremony and reception in one place

Find a venue that can host both the ceremony and the reception. In such a case, you’ll be able to save on transportation. You can also try to negotiate the price, as it is much more beneficial for the venue to host both parts of your wedding day.

• Go for seasonal local florals

Can you imagine a wedding without real flowers? These beauties can get extremely pricey. But the great news is that you can save a lot on flowers even without getting fake ones.

Opt for flowers that are in season and are locally grown. This will help you avoid any shipping costs, and the actual price of the flowers that are at the peak of their supply is usually much lower.

• Go paperless

It looks like you are going to need plenty of invitations if you are planning a rehearsal dinner, an engagement party, and quite a few other celebrations apart from the actual wedding. Thankfully, nowadays, you have the option of going completely paperless.

Simply create a special website with all the necessary information and send the link to your guests. The best part is that you can get insanely creative with the design without draining your wallet.

Where to Find the Funds for Your Dream Wedding?

Of course, there are couples that would prefer not to spend all that money on a wedding and would rather tie the knot without any witnesses and then have a mini honeymoon.

But if you are the kind of person who has been dreaming about a beautiful wedding with all the magical moments and romantic traditions, then you should definitely go for it. Ideally, this would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you and your guests are going to remember forever. And imagine being able to show the photos and videos from that wonderful day to your family and friends.

A wedding is essentially a celebration of your love, which deserves perfection. By the way, even intimate gatherings with a small budget can turn into fabulous memories.

But as much as we would love to state that money doesn’t really matter, the truth is that it certainly does. The chances are high that no matter how big or small your wedding will be, you will still have to save for it.

And, in the absolute majority of cases, you are going to go over your initial budget. There are plenty of tiny things that are going to add up throughout the whole preparation process. So, you will end up spending more than you anticipated.

What Is an Installment Loan?

If you need to expand your budget in the shortest timeframe or you don’t want to be saving up for months (or even years) to have a wedding that you want, then you can consider getting an installment loan.

These loans include various options that are repaid with regularly scheduled payments (installments).

There is no ‘wedding loan,’ but you can certainly get a personal loan to fund your dream wedding (usually between $1,000 and $50,000).

With Simple Fast Loans,  you can borrow $200 to $3,000 on an installment loan.

You will be provided with a fixed amount of money that must be repaid on a regular basis. Each payment includes the repayment portion of the amount borrowed and the interest payment.

The Benefits of Getting an Installment Loan for Your Wedding

Getting a personal loan for a wedding has a few important pros that might outweigh the cons.

An Installment Loan Is Easy to Get

In a lot of cases, you will be able to apply for a loan online from the comfort of your own home. Of course, you would have to get your financial documents in order, but the actual process of applying for a loan is pretty straightforward. And the best news is that you will have the amount you qualify for deposited directly into your bank account.

You Can Get Your Money in the Shortest Timeframe

You can find lenders that will review your application and documents and deposit the loan amount in only a day. Sometimes, the process might take a few days, but that’s still incredibly fast!

Loans Have Better Interest Rates than Credit Cards

If you plan on spending the money you don’t have, it might be better to go for a personal loan rather than a credit card. This applies to everyone with a strong credit history and a good credit score.

You Will Improve Your Credit Score

A high credit score will make it easier for you to get different loans in the future (for a car, a house, etc.) and keep the interest rates as low as possible. So, if you are a couple that wants to improve their credit score, then getting a personal loan for your wedding might be a great opportunity to do so.

Warning! If you have an existing loan, the bank might not give you a new one for the desired amount. In some cases, the bank can deny the application.

You May Not Have to Pay Any Interest at All

Try to go for a loan that allows you to pay it off early without penalty fees. In such a case, you can use the money that you have been gifted to pay off the loan. You wouldn’t have to pay practically any interest at all, and you will end up with a dream wedding and an improved credit score.

How to Apply for an Installment Loan for Wedding Expenses?

In the majority of cases, applying for a loan is extremely simple. All you would have to do is follow these steps:

Check your credit score

If you have an amazing score, you will be able to get lower rates (and have higher chances of being approved). So, if you still have quite some time until the wedding, try boosting your credit score.

You can get a free credit report here. Checking your credit score doesn’t affect it and, in fact, is a responsible thing to do as you’ll have an idea of what the lenders might ‘think’ of you.

 Find the right lender

Nowadays, you can find plenty of available lenders. However, not all of them are the same.

Go for a reputable company with great reviews. Also, make sure to compare interest rates and all the terms. A good lender has to be willing to help you and would be happy to provide you with an offer that is perfect for your specific case.

 Get prequalified

In order to be able to compare the offers, you would have to fill out a short form and get prequalified (a lot of lenders offer such an opportunity).

Don’t worry, this process will not impact your credit score, but you will get an idea of what every lender can offer you before making a decision.

By the way, with Simple Fast Loans, you will be able to complete the process online.

 Apply for an installment loan

Once you have found the right lender, you will get to apply for the actual loan. Thankfully, the whole process won’t take you too long. A lot of companies are able to deposit funds in a matter of days or even 24 hours in some cases.

Tips on Utilizing an Installment Loan for Wedding Expenses

• Don’t overspend

Let’s imagine you qualified for an installment loan and got a lot of money. The feeling is amazing, but it can also be overwhelming.

If you didn't have this cash in the first place, you would have tried to save on everything. But now that you have the money, you can book the band that you wanted, get the best wedding planner, and go for expensive rings.

A loan can make you go overboard, even with the most unnecessary things. So, try to keep it cool, because you have a lot of money doesn’t mean you have to spend all of it.

• Make the decision together with your partner

Starting out a marriage in debt might not be the right decision for many couples. To make things a bit easier for both of you, talk through all the finance-related questions in advance.

Moreover, the decision to get a loan has to be made together. If one of the partners is against borrowing money, then you shouldn’t do it.

• Come up with a repayment plan

Answer a few important questions beforehand. For example, do you want to repay the loan with the money gifted to you on your wedding day? Or do you want to use that fund for an awesome honeymoon?

Are you planning on getting another loan? If yes, getting a loan to buy a house would have to wait until you repaid the existing one.

Finally, a loan would require you to rearrange your family budget so that you are able to make the payments on time.

• Ensure your financials are in order

Keep your financial documents under control. In such a case, you wouldn’t have to spend days or even months getting the papers you need before applying for an installment loan. And that’s the last thing you want when all your vendors are waiting for their upfront deposits, right?

To Sum Up

Now you know how to utilize an installment loan for wedding expenses.

A loan can help you craft the day of your dreams, but at the same time, it can also become a family burden for the next few years. To avoid that, follow the tips that we have mentioned above and live happily ever after!