It's that time of the year when brides and grooms are busy preparing for their big walk down the aisle.
But in the wake of the financial meltdown, engaged couples in the city are making money planning a priority right up there with menu tastings and band bookings.
"The recession opened up people's eyes," said 25-year-old bride-to-be Andrea Fassacesia, a public relations exec who lives in Murray Hill. "You have to be prepared."
It's no honeymoon — but brides and grooms are pulling each other's credit scores and plotting how long it will take to save up to purchase a home.
Once a hush-hush topic, prenups have become a hot subject on the message board of wedding site TheKnot.com. In a poll of New York City brides on the site, 89% said they are talking about their future finances.
"We're seeing many more couples come to us before getting married, even if they are just dating," said certified financial planner Stacy Francis of Francis Financial in Lower Manhattan.
Having that pre-marital money talk has become more common as New York couples are waiting longer to tie the knot.
The average ages of local brides and grooms rose to 31 and 33, respectively last year, up from 30 and 32 in 2007, according to a survey from the TheKnot and WeddingChannel.com.
As brides and grooms age, they're coming to marriage with more assets and more obligations like heavy student loan debt.
"Money issues are one of the biggest causes of divorce and conflict, so to have financial issues laid out before the marriage is very smart," said Anja Winikka, TheKnot.com's site editor.
Financial advisers tell brides and grooms to start out right by setting financial goals, whether they be getting out of debt, buying a home, saving for the education of future children or having a comfortable retirement.
"You want to determine if your money personalities are compatible," said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com. "If one is a saver and the other is a spender, better to determine that now and plan accordingly, than to find out the hard way."
Those kinds of discussions led engaged couple Dania Zalen, 26, and Daniel Dobosz, 27, to outline a plan that will have them ready to purchase a home in ten years.
Zalen and Dobosz, who both work as executive recruiters and are set to get married next year, have already cut back on extras like eating out. The bride, who currently lives in the East Village, will move into her fiancé's low-rent apartment in Kew Garden Hills after the wedding.
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