It seems like the demographics of the readers will appreciate this topic, wedding and ring prices! It's ok fellas we can discuss it in an open forum..this is the cave!!! So let's get to it...
Wedding - So for 2014 the AVERAGE wedding price was $30k, yes that's $30,000! Considering that's around the average income for a single person that's a major expense! Tradition says the parents of the bride are suppose to foot the bill, but in today's economic climate that is usually not how it goes.
Before proposing I would seriously consider seeing where the potential fiancee thinks about small weddings, how many Disney princess movies she watched, and if she has "her" whole wedding planned in her head, if she does..... Run!! No seriously run and never turn around! If the wedding is pre-planned it is sure to be an expensive occasion and lead to many budget arguments.
quick FYI: 25% of engaged couples don't make it to the alter.
It seems a lot of people fail to realize a wedding is one day for a few hours and blowing your annual salary is just not worth it( to me). That money could be better put to use laying down debt and helping make a better future, starting off a marriage heavily burden with debt is just not smart considering that's the reason major reason a lot of marriages fail. The wedding day should be about you and your future wife, not trying to compete with the next couple, hour financial situation is different from theirs.
Engagement rings - the ring she is going to enjoy showing off and in the hyper materialistic mind of women today it shows how much you love her... Flawed woman logic! Well woman logic doesn't exist but you get the point. So there is a good chance you know nothing about rings and are going in blind per normal I would say find a price you will be comfortable with spending and go from there. I wouldn't say it all has to be paid at once there are plenty deals that allow for 12-24 months no interest, great option!
The traditional rule was 3 months salary, I have read that comes from old tradition of having to prove to her father that you could save and maintain a household, it's 2015 forget him! Assuming you make 45k pre-tax the "rule" would say you have to spend over $11,000, pure ignorance! It seems common now that people are spending around 1 months salary +/- a few weeks, much more obtainable. There are plenty nice run the out that in your price range once you understand the 4Cs, which are cut, clarity, color, and carat, pretty straight forward and easy to understand with a little research. The best advice I can give is, know hour woman! If she materialistic you might want to drop that $11k or she might not accept the engagement which would save you from possibly a very expensive mistake.
Wedding - So for 2014 the AVERAGE wedding price was $30k, yes that's $30,000! Considering that's around the average income for a single person that's a major expense! Tradition says the parents of the bride are suppose to foot the bill, but in today's economic climate that is usually not how it goes.
Before proposing I would seriously consider seeing where the potential fiancee thinks about small weddings, how many Disney princess movies she watched, and if she has "her" whole wedding planned in her head, if she does..... Run!! No seriously run and never turn around! If the wedding is pre-planned it is sure to be an expensive occasion and lead to many budget arguments.
quick FYI: 25% of engaged couples don't make it to the alter.
It seems a lot of people fail to realize a wedding is one day for a few hours and blowing your annual salary is just not worth it( to me). That money could be better put to use laying down debt and helping make a better future, starting off a marriage heavily burden with debt is just not smart considering that's the reason major reason a lot of marriages fail. The wedding day should be about you and your future wife, not trying to compete with the next couple, hour financial situation is different from theirs.
Engagement rings - the ring she is going to enjoy showing off and in the hyper materialistic mind of women today it shows how much you love her... Flawed woman logic! Well woman logic doesn't exist but you get the point. So there is a good chance you know nothing about rings and are going in blind per normal I would say find a price you will be comfortable with spending and go from there. I wouldn't say it all has to be paid at once there are plenty deals that allow for 12-24 months no interest, great option!
The traditional rule was 3 months salary, I have read that comes from old tradition of having to prove to her father that you could save and maintain a household, it's 2015 forget him! Assuming you make 45k pre-tax the "rule" would say you have to spend over $11,000, pure ignorance! It seems common now that people are spending around 1 months salary +/- a few weeks, much more obtainable. There are plenty nice run the out that in your price range once you understand the 4Cs, which are cut, clarity, color, and carat, pretty straight forward and easy to understand with a little research. The best advice I can give is, know hour woman! If she materialistic you might want to drop that $11k or she might not accept the engagement which would save you from possibly a very expensive mistake.