Abby asks: My husband and I are planning a $60,000 wedding in New Zealand, which we can cash flow. Is there a rule of thumb for how much to spend on a wedding? If a big expense like college lands the same year you plan to retire, sequence-of-returns risk hits hardest right then. Clarity on what you actually want the day to feel like matters more than the size of the budget. Clarity on what you actually want the day to feel like matters more than the size of the budget.