Part of wedding planning is figuring out the financial side of things. Traditionally it was the bride’s family that paid for all costs connected to the wedding. However, with the prices of everything related to weddings soaring and also due to the fact that more and more couples are choosing to get married later in life, less people are adhering to the traditional roles in favor of spreading out the cost to more than one party. Many also feel that it is unfair to expect the bride’s parents to pick up the complete wedding tab.
Traditional Roles
Bride’s Family
- All costs related to the wedding and reception
- Flowers for the wedding and reception
- Wedding dress and accessories
- Invitations
- Photos
- Transportation costs
- Wedding favors
- Their own clothing and all of their own travel costs
Groom’s Family
- Cost of rehearsal dinner (invitations, food, decorations, etc.)
- Wedding present for the couple
- Everything of their own (including clothing and travel costs)
Bride
- Wedding ring for the groom
- Wedding gift for the groom
- Attendants’ gifts
- Beauty treatments (including hair, makeup, facial, nails)
- Occasionally she pays for accommodations for bridesmaids who come from out of town
Groom
- Engagement ring for bride
- Wedding ring for bride
- Marriage license
- Honeymoon expenses
- Wedding gift for bride
- Bridal bouquet
- Attendants’ gifts
- Corsages for mothers and grandmothers
- Boutonnières for the men in the wedding party
- Officiant’s fee
- Occasionally he pays for the accommodations for groomsmen who come from out of town
Modern Roles
When a couple chooses to marry later in life they generally cover the cost of the entire wedding between the two of them. The same can be said if one or both sets of parents do not have the financial resources to pay for the wedding.
Once an engagement has been announced, the couple must sit down and figure out the kind of wedding they wish to have and draw up a budget as to what they can afford. It is important to consider such things as where you wish to have the ceremony and the reception, at what time of day the wedding will be held, the theme and style of the wedding and the number of guests you wish to invite.
