An engagement is an exciting time in a couple's life. Usually, once a couple becomes engaged, talks of the future wedding soon start. Although planning a wedding is a dream come true for most people, they tend to be stressful. Questions about budgets and finances quickly take center stage.
Traditional wedding etiquette has played a large role in wedding expenses for quite some time, but many of today's couples are deciding to buck tradition and plan their wedding according to what works best for their finances. Sometimes, both families split the cost down the middle, or the bride and groom take on all of the costs themselves. Even if you decide to go a different route, it’s still useful to know who traditionally pays for what.
Family of the Bride Expenses
In the past, the bride’s family has been responsible for the bulk of the wedding costs and making the couple's engagement known to friends and family. Usually, the bride's parents pay for listing an engagement announcement in their local newspaper. However, the groom's family is free to pay for an announcement in their own paper if the families live in different areas. The bride's family also hosts the engagement party to celebrate the future bride and groom's engagement with friends and family members.
Once a wedding date is set, invitations must be sent to friends, family, and anyone else the bride and groom want to celebrate with them. Wedding invitations are another cost traditionally paid for by the bride's family, which is why the bride's parents' names are listed at the top of the invitations. Ceremony and reception costs, such as flowers, venue, food, entertainment, the officiant, and decorations, are the responsibility of the bride and her family. The bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girl, ring bearers, and all other attendants usually pay for their own shoes, dresses and tuxedos, and transportation costs. The bride and her family also pay for the bride’s wedding dress, shoes, and accessories.
Family of the Groom Expenses
While the family of the groom has less financial burdens, tradition dictates they are responsible for some essential expenses, such as the marriage license and the couple's honeymoon. The groom's family is also responsible for any transportation and lodging costs for their family. The rehearsal dinner is one considerable expense left to the groom's family. Typically, at least half of the wedding guests and all attendants are supposed to be invited to the rehearsal dinner. So the size and cost of the rehearsal dinner will depend on the number of guests who are expected to attend the wedding.
Of course, these traditions are not a hard-and-fast rule. Both families should sit down together in order to determine who can pay for what expense in to keep wedding stress to a minimum.
