Although the financial responsibility for a wedding has been marked by tradition for decades, over the years, many brides and grooms have come up with their own way to assign expenses. While it may have been common for the bride’s parents to cover the
Budget Your Wedding
majority of the costs in the past, couples today are often paying for their own weddings, or are asking both sets of parents to chip in. Whatever your situation, communication is key! Before any wedding-related purchases are made, it’s smart to sit down with your fiancé and decide how the two of you are going to cover costs. Will you stick with the age-old custom and hope that the bride’s parents offer to pay? Will you and your fiancé cover the costs of the wedding yourselves? Or, are you planning to receive help from both families? If you’re leaning toward the traditional wedding budget, listed below is a typical breakdown of who pays for what:
Bride and Family
- Ceremony Fees (venue, music, decorations)
- Reception Fees (venue, music, entertainment, decorations, food/drink)
- Photography
- Bridal Gown and Accessories
- Flowers (bridal party and decorative)
- Stationery (save the date’s, invitations, ceremony programs, and associated mailing expenses)
- Wedding Favors
- Groom’s Ring
- Transportation (to and from the wedding for the entire wedding party)
Groom and Family
- Rehearsal Dinner
- Officiant Fee
- Marriage License
- Flowers (bridal bouquet, mother’s and grandmother’s corsages or boutonnieres, groomsmen’s boutonnieres)
- Groom’s Tuxedo or Suit
- Honeymoon
- Bride’s Ring
Regardless of which method of payment you and your fiancé choose, make sure to set your budget at the very beginning of the planning process. List out all possible wedding-related expenses that you can think of, and if you’re not sure of the exact cost of something, over-budget rather than under-budget. It’ll feel much better to have money left over rather than feel like you have to compromise. Once you’ve decided on
Who Pays for What?
a budget and have assigned responsibilities, make sure that you keep all contributing parties in the loop throughout your planning. This will make asking for money easier and will allow for smooth sailing in the financial department of planning a wedding.