What are some of the best wedding environments you've been to and what are some of the worst?

You know, like when I started this business, I was frank and honest that I don't actually like weddings.

I think they're strange and over the top and it was weird for me to enter this world because it was so foreign to me i like this job because i love working with people in difficult situations so i really got to see all different types of backgrounds cultures types of weddings and i started to realize that people think To get married, you need to do X, Y, and Z, have this cookie cutting wedding, but it's actually not true.

So the best weddings I've ever seen are the ones where they totally throw out the script and do things that they like or that are interesting to them.

I've worked weddings in the middle of Times Square.

I've worked weddings at bowling alleys.

I've worked weddings truly at like all different types of places that you wouldn't think are wedding venues.

And can you give us like a couple of reasons why people would hire you?

And then you make it more of a spectacle of all these people are coming and new family coming in and they're relying on us and vendors are paid, you know, all that stuff.

You know, it's just so scary because I'm such an indecisive person.

If you ask me where to go for dinner tonight, I will have a panic attack and kind of just say, you pick whatever you want to do.

And I cannot decide for the life of me if that's the right or wrong decision.

And a lot of what I saw were people who were really battling deeply, like, is this cold feet or is this just nerves? And they really didn't know.

And that freaked me out because I'm married now, but when I was engaged, I'm like, well, I love him.

I'm pretty sure I love him.

There's this like pressure of like, oh it's fine like you know what I married your father before I wanted to marry him so you should do it too or like we all just sucked it up you know and so I've known people like this where it's like they felt pressure from their parents to get married young or to you know just go through with something because their parents said to which yeah you know blows my mind but

Going to pass the microphone to Jen.

My name is Jen Glantz.

I am currently living in New York City.

And I was featured on episode 83 about my side hustle, which is Bridesmaid for Hire.

I started Bridesmaid for Hire after all of my friends got married early in my 20s.

And I found that I was always behind the scenes at weddings.

And what I noticed was in a billion-dollar industry...

Can you walk us through your wedding budget? What did you actually spend? How did you fund it and save up for it? I know that's a big question, but we want all the details.

So when my husband and I got engaged in 2019, we were originally going to plan this like over the top wedding that neither of us wanted, but everyone wanted for us.

And we had budgeted around $35,000 to do that.

It was coming from our own pockets.

We had started from 2019 to when the wedding would have been a year later.

We had started putting money away.

We had started pooling money from different accounts that we had.

What does it actually cost to raise a child in New York City? Do you have any real numbers for us like around and anything that shocked you as you're doing

Mm-hmm

... and then what are the actual things that mean a lot to you? What are the three things that are gonna mean so much to you on your wedding day, and price those out first.

So if it is the food, if it is the open bar and it is the entertainment, figure out how much that's gonna cost, and with everything you have left over, figure out what else you can afford, and that's it.

Are there any money saving hacks for weddings and for people that are engaged that could help them save some money? We've shared a few, but any top of mind that you could share?

Planning ahead is, is, is a really good idea.

I think also starting to save money in advance.

So look, y- we live in a world where it's like it's not that shocking when you get engaged.

Like, you kinda know the relationship's going that way, and you should talk about finances before you get engaged and married.