4 Mistakes Newlyweds Make with Money

The folks at LendingClub posted a very sober article on financial mistakes that newlyweds often make.  Essentially it boils down to:

1) Avoiding money talk:  not talking about money to have both on the same page regarding planning and saving money, and more importantly: debt.

2) Keeping finance separate:  both sides want to keep their financial life totally separately, forgetting that marriage is a partnership.  Since if the couple is already skiping step 1 (not talking about their monies), then naturally each will want to keep his or her own money to themselves.  However, “combining finances and discussing money issues is important for a strong marriage.”  I totally in agreement here.

However, I’d advocate each would pool their major money together, but still have a small personal separate account for discretional spending, e.g. gifts, money for the in-laws, etc., without touching the main shared checking account.  This way it would be more flexible and less financial friction between the couple since both can have their own spending budget to dip into when needed.  The key is to be upfront about the savings so that everyone is on the same page.  And automatic withdrawal service would work wonder in this case.

3) Get in too much debt.  ”Many newlyweds enter marriage with individual debts, as well as debt resulting from a lavish wedding.”  This is one thing Marrily is great at:  keeping track at your wedding expenses, so you know how much you have spent so far, keeping a close watch on your financial budget.

4)  Not establish an emergency fund:  If you have read “The Richest Man in Babylon”, you would know how 10% saving a month could do wonders.  Having a joined emergency fund a surprise peace of mind that you will find.

Happy saving and planning your wedding!

Invitations of Elegance

Invitations is an important part of your wedding planning.  Ideally your cards should reflect your colors, your taste, and the warm message you want to send to your guests.  With a lot of invitation vendors out there, sometimes it’s hard to decide which one to pick.  Luckily, we have a chance to get to know Tina and Chris from Invitations of Elegance , a small couture, handmade stationery studio that specializes in custom stationery and wedding suite ensembles.

Since each invitation order is handmade by Tina with love, you can be sure that you have the best cards made just for you and your special day.  What’s even more special about Invitations of Elegance is that you can also email Tina directly and tell her exactly what you want, and she’d work with you to come up with the design you’ll be happy with.  It’s true that you can go with a bigger vendor, like Wedding Divas, but I’m sure the personalized, direct customer service and the affordable price of Invitations of Elegance will win you over.

Recently Invitations of Elegance has been featured on WeddingWire, one of the most popular vendor review websites, and everyone unanimously voted a 5 out of 5 for all aspects:  quality, responsiveness, professionalism, value for cost, and flexibility.  So you know you’re in good hand.

And I’m saving the best for last.  Tina and Chris offered all friends of Marrily a special 15% discount code on any order on their website.  Just use the code “marrily” and you are all set.

Happy planning and shopping for your invitations!