Hey everyone,
now I know these two combos sound like a doozy, but actually, they both can be achieved and in a very efficient way! Let's hear from Bret Engle of DIY GUYS, who has provided some great advice on how to accomplish both of these very important times in one's life with as little stress as possible.
Photo from Unsplash
Planning a wedding is one of the most stressful experiences you can have. It takes months of organization and planning. Trying to move into a new house in the middle of it, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
But never fear. It can be done. You just may have to delegate a few things.
You’re combining two very busy and expensive undertakings within a short timeline of each other. That means you’re going to have stress. You and your future spouse should work together to divide up the workload and know what each other wants and needs. Before you even think about shopping for a home, you should discuss all you want in a home and make sure you’re on the same page or willing to compromise. The same goes for wedding planning, too.
You should also sit down and look at your finances. Can you even afford to do this? Should you scrap a big wedding and head to the courthouse in order to afford a bigger down payment? Should you just live in your parents’ basement until you can pay for a bigger home? These are the decisions you have to make together and not drag the other along unwillingly. If you don’t, you could be in for some serious marital discord.
If you’ve already bought a house and are planning to move in, You likely have a lot of work to do. If they’re needed, don’t try to do all the renovations yourself: You’ll only be adding to the headache. If something goes wrong, it could set you back by months, and you may find yourself unable to move in with your new spouse anytime soon. For example, the average price to remodel a kitchen in Leawood, KS, is $13,000 to $41,000, with a projected timeline of three to four weeks. If you try to do it yourself, you may save a little money, but it could take months. Sometimes, it’s best to leave it to the pros.
If you can afford it, consider paying professional movers instead of doing it yourself. Moving is no fun, no matter how you do it, but carrying boxes and furniture can put you at risk for injury, which would be detrimental to your wedding as well as your honeymoon. Nobody wants to walk down the aisle on crutches.
If you can, consider having a long engagement or extending the date of your wedding. Moving amid all that chaos can cause stress to build and tempers to flare. You don’t want to start your marriage off with a blow-up on your mother-in-law.
If you do find the dream home and will settle prior to the wedding, be sure the new address is listed on your gift registry. If you can’t do this before the wedding, use your parents’ house or a friend’s house as the gift destination. That way, your gifts won’t get lost in package delivery limbo. When you do register, keep your new home in mind. Will there be enough space for all that china? Will you even have a dining room? Consider the amount of cash you might receive as gifts -- can you use that toward your down payment?
Make sure your real estate agent knows when you’ll be out of town for your honeymoon so she knows she won’t be able to reach you. You don’t want to lose a house because you’re unreachable. If your real estate agent knows where you are, she can tell the sellers that you’re still interested and ask them to wait until you get back.
Buying a house before you get married can be a smart move. If one of you has a lot of debt or bad credit, only one of you will have to be on the loan, making a loan easier to get. If you’re in a community property state, once you’re married, you will both be entitled to the house, so it doesn’t really matter if both of your names are on it.
When it’s all over, and you’re enjoying, your new home and looking at your wedding pictures, you’re going to be happy. When stressing out over which color bridesmaid dresses to have, try to remember that. You’ll have a long, happy life together if you know how to work well as a team.
