<prompt> Human: My fiancé and I are recently engaged and beginning to plan our wedding and, shortly after, purchasing our first home. Im expecting we will pay for the wedding on our own - anything we do receive from our parentsfamily if any will be a bonus. I will more than likely be contributing more to the wedding funds as I make more than my fiancé and have significantly less debt. Im currently contributing 15 to my 401k. I was wondering what rpersonalfinance viewpoint would be on completely freezing or drastically reducing my contribution down to my companys match. I would also like to save a little for a down payment on a house so we have something to work with after the wedding. Im 26, so I figured slowing my 401k contribution now would be better than taking on debt to pay for the wedding. Our wedding date will be somewhere between a year to two years, so we have a good amount of time to save. Im really looking for constructive advice and any first hand experience anyone can offer. Obviously we know we need to define a budget, and we are currently working on that. I appreciate any insight. EDIT: Thank you all for the sound and constructive advice. I think Ill lower my 401k contribution to the company match for the time being and keep our budget reasonable. Then bump back up to 15.  <response>: First off, congratulations! I hope the two of you are saving up for your wedding and house together. It will be a great stepping stone into more personal finance things down the road. Thinking about money as a family matter instead of an individuals takes some getting used to. My money is now our money. Avoid wedding debt. I do commend you on your plan. It sounds great. Save up and pay for the wedding. Plan everything out together. Plan a budget without any parentsfamily member contributions.Yesterday, I celebrated my 2 year anniversary with my wife. In our case, some family members pledged more than they were actually able to give, and some gave more than they committed. Fortunately, we had saved enough to cover everything we wanted before the wedding and honeymoon, on our own. We did not want to start the marriage in debt or rely on other people. We spent a lot on our wedding and a good amount on our honeymoon in Hawaii. We both have big families and wanted as many of our friends as possible to celebrate with us.All the cash and monetary gifts from the wedding went towards paying down debt. I had more loans at the time and we used the money to pay off debt.Yes, the wedding day was a big blur. But it was amazing. All our friends and family were there and we celebrated until we were both too tired to continue. Was it expensive? Yes. Would I do it again if I could turn back time? Yes.Spend money on things you prioritize. My wifes family loves to dance, so we needed a place with a large dance floor and a good dj. My family likes to eat, so we got the best food we could get on the menu. We spent less on other things that were not as important to us. Have most of the money before the wedding because places typically ask for a deposit or ask for money before the event.Get your credit score as high as possible before you buy a house. Pay off smaller loans to get rid of them and clear up any and all credit issues. Aim for a 15-year mortgage. 30-year mortgages are expensive in the long run. Avoid PMI by having more than 20 down-payment for the house. They call it insurance but it really does not help you out in any way and goes into the banks pockets! 