Getting Married on Valentine’s Day

Candidates to be first-time homebuyers in Sacramento got married yesterday every 7 minutes. That’s more than 68 couples saying I do in an 8-hour period. Getting married on Valentine’s Day is kind of like being born on Christmas. You know, for the rest of your life, you’ll get fewer presents than you ordinarily would receive if the celebrations were clearly separate. But it is a way for some people to remember their anniversary. One guy actually admitted to the Sacramento Bee that getting married on Valentine’s Day now means the whole world will help him to remember the date because, as though this is an excuse, because he’s a guy.

It’s economical to get married at the County clerk’s office in Sacramento. A marriage license costs only $83. A couple could save that $5,000 to $50,000 they could plan to spend on a wedding and use it as a down payment to buy their first home. I say this as a person who got married during dim sum while our witnesses graciously picked up the lunch tab. I’m often amazed at the amount of money spent on full-blown affairs to get married, especially since this once-in-a-lifetime experience has a tendency to repeat itself, twice or more.

It’s not like you’ll ever get that money back if one of you decides I don’t down the road. Not like you’ll probably fare if you buy a home in Sacramento. At least buying a home nowadays is building equity. So, my advice is skip the big wedding and save your money to buy a home. If it doesn’t work out, sell the home, take the money and be happy about something else. Don’t try to buy each other out. I see far too many spouses who later refinance to come up with the money to pay off an ex, and then they run into trouble and can’t pay the mortgage. Refinanced loans are hard money in California. Just sayin’.

But a belated Happy Valentine’s Day, and Best Wishes to all those who got married yesterday. Getting married on Valentine’s Day is pretty romantic but you just lost yourself an extra gift on that day, you know. Just sayin’ . . .