An Instagram creator who posts as @williamjcrandell has shared his and his wife’s approach to major financial and relationship milestones, contrasting their initial low-key courthouse wedding with a larger, more elaborate celebration held later, in a video that has drawn more than 721,000 views.
His caption lays out the couple’s priorities and timeline plainly: “We saved our money, bought our home before the big wedding, and enjoyed life together… then the week…” the sentence trailing off before detailing exactly when and how the larger wedding celebration eventually took place, but the sequence of priorities is already clear from what’s shared, homeownership and financial stability came first, with the larger wedding celebration following afterward rather than preceding it.
According to the creator, he and his wife made a deliberate choice to legally marry through a courthouse ceremony well before hosting the larger, more traditionally elaborate wedding celebration that many couples treat as the primary event. This approach allowed them to begin their legal and financial partnership as a married couple immediately, including the ability to save and buy a home together as spouses, without needing to first save for and plan an expensive, large-scale wedding celebration that many couples delay their marriage or major purchases around.
This strategy, sometimes referred to informally as a “courthouse now, party later” approach, has grown increasingly visible on social media as rising wedding costs prompt more couples to reconsider the traditional sequence of dating, engagement, an expensive wedding, and then marriage. By separating the legal act of marriage from the celebratory event, couples following this approach can access the practical and financial benefits of marriage immediately, filing taxes jointly, buying property together, sharing health insurance, while still eventually hosting the larger celebration with family and friends once they’re financially ready to do so without going into debt.
The creator frames this decision as one that allowed the couple to prioritize a major financial milestone, purchasing a home, ahead of a major social milestone, the big wedding celebration, a sequencing choice that runs counter to more traditional wedding planning timelines but one that increasingly resonates with couples navigating a challenging housing market alongside rising wedding costs.
The video’s substantial reach suggests many viewers found the couple’s approach to sequencing these major life milestones both relatable and worth considering for their own relationships and financial planning.
The Takeaway
Financial planners increasingly point to the courthouse-first approach as a practical option for couples looking to access the legal and financial benefits of marriage without taking on wedding-related debt or delaying other major goals like homeownership. Separating the legal marriage from the celebratory event isn’t the right fit for every couple, particularly those for whom the wedding ceremony itself carries significant religious or cultural weight, but for couples primarily focused on financial stability, it can offer meaningful flexibility. Whatever order a couple chooses, having an honest conversation about priorities, financial goals, and what really matters most about their wedding day tends to lead to a more satisfying outcome than defaulting to a traditional timeline simply because it’s expected.
