You've been together for a while. You're out on a date one night and he's acting nervous. Maybe it's the atmosphere. You don't go out to fancy restaurants very often, after all. Dessert arrives and he starts talking about you two being together for so long and you're best friends and you mean the world to him…blah…blah…blah…

In your head, you're thinking "Oh my god, he's going to pop the question…"

Sure enough…

YES!!

Now you have a fiancé and a magnificent diamond ring. Time to celebrate!

Then reality sets in and you realize you have to dish out thousands of dollars for your dream wedding. Money is tight, especially for a young couple, and can be a trigger of many arguments.

Here's a word of advice to save yourself from stress!

Set your wedding date for 3 years after you get engaged.

Yes, I'm sure you're super excited and you probably want to get married tomorrow. But if you want that dream wedding, you're going to need to plan ahead, especially if your parents aren't footing the bill. I speak from experience. I got engaged in July of 2017 and my wedding isn't until October of 2021.

It's a lot easier to book the venue, the photographer, the caterer, the DJ and so on that far in advance. Some vendors may even give you a discount for booking so early! Plus, you'll have extra time to go to wedding expos and grab fun freebies! Cake samples, catering samples, flower bouquets, dress fittings…oh my! All free!

You'll have all that time to find the perfect venue and the perfect dress. The best part? You have 3 years to pay for it! Instead of dishing out thousands of dollars at once, you can pay only a few hundred dollars here and there. Sounds a lot less stressful, doesn't it?

Take it from me. I want to get married tomorrow, too, but my bank account loves the 3-year plan.