What are some good wedding grants?

There are several ways to pay for a wedding with no money, from taking out a personal loan (if you have income, but no money on hand) to opting for a simple ceremony without the pomp and circumstance. Marriage licenses cost between $5 and $100, depending on the state – so it’s possible to get married without spending much at all. Other options include asking family for assistance or crowdfunding. Let’s go through all of the different possibilities.… read full answer

How to Pay for a Wedding with No Money

Get a personal loan

Depending on the lender, you’ll be able to borrow from $1,000 to $100,000 for wedding expenses (or pretty much anything else). You’ll typically have 1 to 7 years to pay it back, and there are loan options for people with all credit scores. You can get a personal loan if you have no money saved, but you’ll need a steady income and little existing debt.

Take out a home equity loan

If you own a house before marriage, you could borrow against the value of that property through a home equity loan or line of credit. But this isn’t the greatest option, as your house serves as collateral.

Use credit cards

Depending on how high of a credit limit you have, you may be able to charge some or all of your wedding expenses to a credit card. But credit cards tend to have much higher rates than personal loans, so if you go this route, use a credit card with a 0% introductory APR.

Have a simple wedding

Marriage licenses are inexpensive. So consider simply having a small ceremony with your closest friends and family at someone from the group’s home or a park where you don’t have to pay rental fees. You could also ask friends to use their talents to bake a cake or perform music, for example.

Ask family for help

Parents often front a lot of the costs of a wedding – about two-thirds, actually, on average. If you’re comfortable doing so, you can ask them to chip in.

Ask guests for money

In lieu of traditional wedding gifts, you could ask guests to give you money toward the cost of the wedding. You’ll need to ask for these gifts in advance if you want to use them to pay for the wedding itself; otherwise, you’ll have to borrow money and use the gifts to recoup the costs.

Crowdfund

Crowdfunding all sorts of expenses has become more popular in the past few years. If you have an especially dedicated group of friends, or a big social network, they might contribute money toward your wedding.

Enter a contest

If you’re lucky, you may win a sweepstakes that pays for a wedding dress, honeymoon, wedding ring or more.

Get sponsored

If you have a large following on social media, you may be able to convince companies to sponsor your wedding in return for giving them advertising.

Get a grant

There are few opportunities for wedding grants. The only currently viable option, Wish Upon a Wedding, is for people with terminal or life-altering illnesses.

If those ideas won’t work for you, you should take one of two approaches. The first is to wait and save some money until you have enough to pay for the wedding you want. The second is to just go to a courthouse and get married legally. Then, you could throw a big party on your first anniversary, for example, after taking some time to save.

One of the best ways to get money for a wedding fast is to take out a personal loan from LightStream. They offer same-day approval and funding in many cases, and usually won’t take more than 2 business days from when you apply. LightStream offers loans specifically for wedding financing with APRs ranging from 5.95% to 17.29%. You’ll reportedly need to have a credit score of at least 660 to qualify. Other lenders with fast approval times include Best Egg, Rocket Loans and Marcus.… read full answer

Another way to get money for a wedding fast is to use a credit card. You’ll be able to make a purchase instantly and pay it off over time. Given how high credit card interest rates can be, however, the best approach is to plan a couple weeks ahead and apply online for a 0% APR credit card. It will give you an opportunity to pay off your purchases interest-free during the introductory period. Plus, there’s usually a chance for instant approval when you apply online for a credit card. Although it generally takes 7-10 business days to receive a card after you’re approved, many companies allow you to expedite delivery to 1-3 business days for a small fee or even for free. You’ll need a credit score of at least 700 to qualify for a good 0% APR card.

If you have some valuable possessions that you’re not overly attached to, you could also sell them to make some extra money. Sites like Craigslist usually lead to fast responses from interested buyers. Finally, one other major place you can get money for a wedding fast is from family or friends. Whether you’re borrowing the money or receiving it as a gift, you won’t have to go through any kind of approval process. So you can get the money as soon as the person writes you a check.

That said, it’s best not to rush your wedding purchases, if possible. Taking your time to shop around can ensure you get the best deals and save as much money as possible.