A Traditional Breakdown of Who Pays for What
There are different rules for who pays for what. Certain things are traditionally paid for by the bride’s family and other things are paid for by the groom’s family. Many couples today pay for the wedding themselves. Traditionally, the bride’s family would pay for the bridesmaids’ dresses and accessories, but lately the trend has been that the bridesmaids pay for this. This is a traditional look at who pays for what based on many different magazine articles and Web sites.
Bride’s Family:
* Groom’s ring
* bridesmaid’s luncheon
* the first engagement party
* invitations, announcements, enclosures, personal stationery, wedding programs, thank-you notes
* bride’s dress, veil, accessories
* mother of the bride’s dress, father of the bride’s formalwear
* maid of honor and bridesmaids dresses and accessories (shoes, too)
* floral arrangements for ceremony and reception sites, bouquets for bridesmaids and flower girls
* fees for ceremony site, organist, soloist, rental of aisle carpet, marquee, or huppah
* engagement and wedding photos and video
* transportation of bridal party to ceremony and reception site
* all professional reception services, food, drinks, decorations, music, etc.
Bride buys wedding gifts for her attendants and the groom.
Groom’s Family:
* Bride’s engagement and wedding ring
* engagement party (it should follow any festivities hosted by the bride’s family)
* a rehearsal dinner
* groom’s thank-you notes
* personal stationery
* groom’s formalwear
* his mother’s dress, his father’s attire
* ushers’ and groomsmen’s attire
* bride’s bouquet, corsages for both mothers and grandmothers, boutonnieres for best man and ushers
* marriage license, clergy member or judge’s fee
* limousine to airport, complete honeymoon
Groom buys wedding gifts for attendants and the bride.
Attendants:
* Best man and/or ushers host the bachelor party
* maid of honor and/or bridesmaids host a bridal shower and may host a girls’ night out
* attendants who live in the area may offer out of town attendants a place to stay
* attendants may give wedding gifts individually, or pool their resources for a group gift
Other Options:
* Bride’s or groom’s family may offer heirloom rings
* bride’s family may host the rehearsal dinner
* bride’s family may purchase bouquets; bride may give corsages to mothers and grandmothers
* couple may cover all ceremony costs
* one family may pay for photography, the other for videography, the groom’s parents or the couple may pay for any extra prints
* either family may arrange for transportation, babysitters, a welcome buffet for out of town guests, or lodging for out of town attendants
* groom’s family may offer to share reception costs, or cover specific services (liquor, musicians, etc.)
* couple may buy thank-you gifts for parents and friends or relatives who helped with planning
Of course all wedding costs can be split however the families feel most comfortable. This is just a traditional look at what is usually done.