When Jim’s grandmother passed away, he didn’t just inherit her favourite teacups or photo albums — he inherited $100,000, and with it, a dream she always had for him that includes building a future, buying a home and starting a family.
Not long ago, Jim proposed to his girlfriend of three years. They’d been planning a small, intimate wedding with a budget around $20,000 — with part of the wedding paid for by their respective parents. Their modest wedding budget was due, in part, to not having saved much for the event and because they didn’t want to go into debt for just one day.
But since Jim received news of his inheritance, his fiancée has seemingly switched gears. Now she wants a glitzy destination wedding, a designer dress and a much longer guest list. Jim wants to stick to their original plan, but now she’s calling him “stingy” for refusing to spend “our inheritance” on her “dream” wedding.
While Jim and his fiance are fictional, their hypothetical scenario is inspired by real events. Each partner has a different attitude and perspective on what is important and what to invest in — and each one needs to consider how the other’s perspective will impact the relationship. In this case, the Jim persona would probably start to question his fiancée’s values and whether they share the same life goals — and he’ll probably need to consider if he really is stingy for saying no.
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Understanding the cost of big weddings
Maybe you can’t put a price on love, but you can definitely put a price on a wedding — and that price is getting even more expensive. According to Simply Elegant Corp’s wedding budget guide for 2025, the average cost for a wedding is between $30,000 and $32,000, depending on several factors.
First, there’s location. Toronto is one of the more expensive cities in Canada to get married, with the average wedding costing anywhere from $35,000 to $50,000 for approximately 135 guests. For our hypothetical couple this means a large portion of Jim’s inheritence would be spent on a one-day event. What’s worse is that most reports suggest that most couples go over their initial wedding budget. According to The Knot, roughly 31% to 57% of couples went over budget on their wedding in Canada in 2024.
What if Jim stuck to his non-wedding plan for the inheritance
If Jim and his fiancée stuck with their original plan, they could use that $100,000 to get on solid financial footing as they start their life together. That could mean an emergency fund, paying off high-interest debt or boosting retirement contributions. It could also mean buying a home. If they were to use the entire inheritance as a 20% down payment on a $500,000 property, they’d be much further ahead — with most couples saving up a down payment over many years before purchasing their first home.
If their plan was to have children, buying a home with the inheritance would help turn that plan into a reality, by giving them a stable home and lower mortgage payments that would help them through the tougher financial years when one or both parents are on parental leave. Or, if Jim invested the money he could turn that $100K inheritance into a $300,000 nest egg, assuming a 6% annualized return over 20 years.
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Financial planning needs joint communication
The bigger concern here is that Jim and his fiancée may not be on the same page about their financial goals.
While she could just be having a "bridezilla" moment, this shift might also reflect deeper differences in financial values — ones that could cause bigger problems if not addressed.
Financial transparency means talking openly about shared goals — short-term (a wedding), mid-term (buying a home) and long-term (saving for kids’ education or retirement).
Once they’re married, their tax and legal status will change. They’ll be sharing a household budget and likely filing taxes together, so it’s important to discuss what their financial future looks like before walking down the aisle.
Money management is a significant source of stress in Canadian relationships. According to a 2025 survey by Money Mentors, 47% of Canadians have had financial disagreements with their partner, with 53% reporting losing sleep following these arguments.
If Jim and his fiancée can’t find common ground on managing the inheritance, it may be time to consider premarital financial counseling or working with a financial advisor.
However, there may still be room for compromise. They already had a $20,000 wedding budget. Many financial experts agree it’s okay to spend a small portion — 5% to 10% — of a large windfall on something memorable. In Jim’s case, that could mean putting 10% toward the wedding, bringing the total budget for their special day up to $30,000.
That extra cash could cover a larger venue, a designer dress or a bigger guest list — but there would still need to be compromises. Maybe a destination wedding is still on the table, but somewhere more affordable in the Caribbean instead of Tuscany or Fiji.
Disagreements about how to spend an inheritance are common. It’s not necessarily a dealbreaker — but if Jim’s fiancée is focused solely on what she wants from his inheritance, it could be a red flag.
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Sources
1. Simply Elegant: Budgeting Your Dream Calgary Wedding: Costs & Smart Tips (2025/2026), by Robert Vidra (Jun 19, 2025)
2. By Calin: The Ultimate Toronto Wedding Cost Guide (2025-2026)
3. The Knot: More Couples Than You Think Go Over Their Wedding Budget (and Here’s How Much They Overspend), by Kim Forest (Apr 17, 2025)
4. Money Mentors: Love and money survey
This article originally appeared on Money.ca under the title: I inherited $100K. My fiancée wants a lavish wedding, but I’d rather invest toward our future
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.