Crafty, just wondering how things are going.

I too think that asking a 23yo to pay rent is the right thing to do!

When my oldest step-son announced that he was getting married to his college sweetheart who was also his live-in girlfriend, her father invited us all to dinner. At this dinner he proceeded to tell the engaged couple how thrilled he was that they were FINALLY getting married . He also stated that the reason he had invited all of us to dinner was to make sure everyone was on the same page as far as wedding preparations were concerned.

He then addressed these comments to his daughter. He said "Your mother and I have worked very hard to provide you and your sisters with the best life we could possibly give you. The one thing we promised ourselves was that we would send each of our girls to the college of their choice and do it so they would have no debt when they finished. I am saying this because you are well aware that your two younger sisters are still in college and we have those expenses. I want you to know that I want your wedding day to be the day that you have always pictured it to be, BUT there will be a budget. This is the amount that your mother and I are able to contribute and we cannot go a penny over this."

I was very impressed that her father laid down the budget to begin with. I think that it made it easier for them to decide what they really wanted for their wedding day. I also think that because they knew that anything over the budget would have to come out of their own pocket they chose everything very carefully. They stayed within the budget and had a very beautiful wedding.

I plan to use this tactic when (if) my other two ever decide to get married!