Build Your Foundation Before You Build Wealth

SPEAKER_1 (0:04)

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Jade Warshaw (0:12)

Normal is broken, common sense is weird, so we're here to help you transform your life, your money from the Ramsey Network and the Fairwins Credit Union studio.

Next to me, George Kamel taking your calls. 888-825-5225 gets you on. Erica is on the line. She's up next in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Hi, Erica. How can George and I help out today?

SPEAKER_3 (0:35)

Hi, Jade and George. I am calling because my in-laws said that they set money aside for my boyfriend and his brother's wedding. However, they said that they're not going to pay for a destination wedding. So we're kind of caught in the middle deciding, do we go destination or do we do what they want, stay in town, but maybe get some help with it?

Jade Warshaw (0:55)

I mean, do you need the money?

SPEAKER_3 (0:59)

No, but it would be nice. I mean, what would the financially smart thing to do be? I mean, I know George got his wedding paid for, I would love that to happen.

George Kamel (1:08)

Oh yeah, well, I wish I could give that to you. Destination weddings are going to be more expensive, I imagine. Is that why they don't want to do it? Or are there other reasons?

SPEAKER_3 (1:16)

Actually, I think the destination wedding is going to be less expensive.

George Kamel (1:21)

Overall.

SPEAKER_3 (1:21)

Based on what we've priced out so far, yeah.

Jade Warshaw (1:23)

It depends on how you're doing it.

Are you fitting the bill for anyone flying out, or is it just like the wedding is here? If you can make it great, if you can't, see you later.

SPEAKER_3 (1:35)

Great question. So if we pay for it, everyone else is going to foot the bill. It's going to be about $1,500 maximum per person to come out. However, if his parents said, hey, we set this money aside, do what you want with it, we might be able to help the family members and the friends who maybe can't afford to pay for it all themselves.

Jade Warshaw (1:52)

So what if you pitched an idea where you say, hey guys, we also have some money saved, but we really want to do a destination wedding. What if our portion of the money goes, what if your portion of the money goes towards paying for like the venue and the food and those things, but our portion goes towards flying out, like key family members to make sure that they can go or like subsidizing it to a certain extent.

SPEAKER_3 (2:17)

Yeah, so we did try to pitch that already and we got some pushback. So the issue is his dad has nine siblings and his mom has six. So we can't pay for everyone to come. And so I think they want an in-town wedding, so that way everyone can come. But we actually want a destination wedding so we can get to talk to everyone and see everyone and make sure that it's not just, you know, the day's over and oh my gosh, we didn't see anyone.

George Kamel (2:41)

Can you just do it locally and limit it and you guys just do a little getaway kind of honeymoon situation?

SPEAKER_3 (2:48)

We could.

SPEAKER_5 (2:48)

Would that be a compromise?

George Kamel (2:50)

Because then you get a free wedding plus this all expenses paid vacation.

SPEAKER_3 (2:55)

I would think that would be a compromise. The issue is if we do a local wedding, then the people who don't get invited might feel slighted.

George Kamel (3:02)

Who's not getting invited? Yeah. You're saying because now it's local, more people can come, but we're still limiting the invite list.

SPEAKER_3 (3:10)

I mean, the invite list is still nine siblings and all their kids and six siblings and all their kids and then that's not even my family. Right.

George Kamel (3:17)

So what is his parents willing to cover financially? Is it a dollar amount?

SPEAKER_3 (3:23)

They wouldn't give me a dollar amount. They said that if they give us a dollar amount, our Mexico trip might turn into an Italy trip. So it's probably significant.

Jade Warshaw (3:30)

See, that's strange. Oh, wow.

I don't know why they're being not telling you the details. I think if I were you, I would talk to your fiance and say, can you please press your parents to get some actual facts so we can plan? It's not because we're trying to tell them what to do or because we're ungrateful. We just need to understand clearly our options so we can make a plan. Can you please ask them for the dollar amount if we do it local? That's all we need and then we can make a decision. Then I wanted to ask you, Erica, how much do you guys have saved?