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Happy Solstice Weekend Besties,

***THIS IS NOT JUST FOR FIANCÉS *** Whether you’re a guest, a parent, or married, we’ve got The Wedding Finances Cheatsheet for you.

🚩 Bookmark this for when ya need it. 🚩

Before we get into The Cheatsheet, here are some wild Wedding dress code ideas if you need some inspo for your look…

• Wine Formal: No heels, because you’ll be walking on uneven ground. Birks it is.

• Desert Formal: Go with light fabrics. See: Zendaya at the Dune: Part 2 premiere.

• Garden Party Chic: It’s the opportune time for guys to rock a pattern without standing out. But take Martha Stewart’s word for it.

🚨🚨🚨 We just dropped a new episode of TBOY HOTLINE with influencer & media entrepreneur Lauren Riihimaki, talking Wedding $$$ from the couch — Listen or watch the full episode.

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Financial Trickshots

“Financial Trick Shots” = Low-investment, high-return, value-adding hacks.

Nick: Instead of a welcome basket or a succulent upon arrival (scaled to all 200 guests), we wrote them all cards. But for the groomsmen, I sent Jack and the other guys each a small Harry's Razors travel pack with a note "Get Groomed.”

Jack: A surprise duet from the newlyweds. The expectation is zero (I am not a singer, but my wife crushes the vocals). We coordinated with the band and I belted it out on the stage anyway and everyone loved it. 12/10 would recommend.

Lauren: Had a choreographed first dance… which substantially decreased the nerves of getting up in front of everyone and awkwardly swaying.

Formulas

🔔 Our “Wedding Budget Formula”: Your dream venue price x 2 (assuming it includes food & drink) = Your Wedding Budget. If you can afford that, great! If not, choose a lower priced venue. From what we've discovered in our own experience & research, the venue is the earliest, largest, and most decision-influencing choice you make, so it should anchor the overall budget.

🎁 Our “Gifting Rule of 100”: Take the first digit of your age x100 = The wedding gift money amount (ex: 27 years old? 2×100 = $200 gift budget)

⭐️ There are discounts. If you’re in the wedding party (sweat equity), work for a non-profit, had to fly there, or are a student — take 25% off.

⭐️ ⭐️ If you cross 2 time zones or international borders = no gift requirement (that’s a destination wedding).

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ If you’re an investment banker, pay double (share the wealth).

Wedding gifts and wedding budgets are case-by-case and can be tricky. But these formulas should give you a starting point.

Let’s Talk Dessert

NICK: 3 cakes is an investment, not an expense. Because it’s a conversation starter… ”Did you try the carrot-vanilla-buttercream??”

JACK: Like our Takeaway about corporate spending, you can invest in joy. Like a Ben & Jerry’s scoop truck.

LAUREN: Had a dessert spread which included “icebox shots” (liquid cheesecake with a graham cracker crumble). ‘Nuff said.

Prenups?

LAUREN: A prenup doesn't have to be an emotional conversation. They had one - and so do 47% of married Millennials (acc. to a Harris poll). America is in the middle of a “Prenup Pop.”

NICK: “The Architecture Analogy”: Your relationship is either a foundation or a capstone. If your wedding is at the beginning of your professional lives (“foundation”), a prenup is less valuable — If it’s after you’ve developed separate professional lives (“capstone”), a prenup is more valuable.

Organizational software of choice?

NICK: Asana

JACK: Google Sheets (includes training the in-laws)

LAUREN: Notion & Google Sheets

Let’s talk finances…

NICK: It’s not a revenue-generating event. Don’t take out debt for it.

JACK: Are you paying with free money (parents are paying) or expensive money (you’re paying yourself)? That makes a huge difference in your budget calculus.

LAUREN: Parents, give your child the check after the event.

NICK & JACK: Don’t tell your vendors “you don’t have a budget.” They’ll assume your budget is limit-less, and anchor the price high. Always throw out the first number in a vendor negotiation. 🤝

Where to splurge & save…

JACK: Splurge on the horns — in the band. Save on top-shelf tequila — no one will care when they’re taking shots.

LAUREN: Splurge on a planner #gamechanger. Save on invitations.

NICK: F&B aren’t equal: Splurge on food, save on fancy wine — Guests remember the Mac & Cheese, not the Tuscan Chianti.

Who to invite….

LAUREN: When it comes to plus ones, NO RING NO BRING.

NICK: If it rhymes, it works.

What else?

NICK: Write your toast on notecards, not a phone. Paper is timeless. Your iPhone 3 is not.

JACK: Stay with your partner the whole reception. Hand in hand.

LAUREN: A Q-tip in the tear duct will save ya.

LAUREN: Take 15 minutes after the ceremony just to yourselves.

LAUREN: Wedding Bingo is a go. “Will the dog pee on the aisle?“ The perfect way to recap the wedding with humor the next day.

💍 And if you want to see just how spectacular Lauren’s wedding was — this is the The Knot Exclusive coverage on it.

If ya missed an episode this week, we gotcha…

• Monday: Why Jake Paul is launching deodorant, not a bullet train

• TBOY Tuesday: Inside Out 2 saved Pixar’s Midlife Crisis.

• Happy Teenth! Stock markets were closed. So no pod. 

• The New Friday: Chick-fil-A’s summer camp

• ⭐️ Friday TBOY Hotline Wedding $$$ with LaurenDIY

And one more thing. You thought 4 cakes was a lot of sweets… Nick’s mom, Alice, made an additional 8 different types of homemade cupcakes for the guests, which was literally over 100 cupcakes. 🧁👇

Got your own Wedding $$$ Rule, Formula, or Financial Hack? Email it to us at [email protected] — We’ll put a ring on it 💍.

—Nick & Jack