As you learn about upcoming weddings, “map out your year,” Bailey says.
This planning is useful if you’re invited to multiple weddings, or bridal showers, bachelor or bachelorette parties and rehearsal dinners. If you’re inclined to say yes to everything, this mapping could show how much time (and money) “everything” will cost.
Also check your bank account balance or budget to understand what’s available to spend after accounting for needs. Ideally, this financial reality check helps you prioritize expenses, says Landis Bejar, a New York City-based licensed mental health counselor and founder of AisleTalk, which provides therapy to individuals getting married.
For example, maybe you realize you can’t swing the out-of-state bachelorette party but can attend the wedding.
If you still feel compelled to overspend, “take inventory of where that expectation is coming from,” Bejar says. “That can usually help you navigate what’s important in your decision making.”
For example, perhaps this reflection shows that you simply yearn to get out of the house and celebrate after so much quarantining. So you prioritize attending the wedding and feel less pressure to buy a new outfit for it.