Wedding Expenses: Who Pays For What?

Planning a wedding comes with many responsibilities, and one of the main questions that arise is, "Who pays for what?" It's no secret that wedding costs can cause tension and confusion, and the last thing you want is to be worried about finances leading up to your wedding. The best way to divide the expenses is for the bride and groom to sit down with both sets of parents and decide who is going to pay what. While discussing money is never easy, don't be afraid to bring up the budget. If you feel uncomfortable asking your future in-laws about the part they are paying, ask your fiancé to broach the subject. However, if you bring up finances with your future in-laws, be respectful don't have a demanding attitude. If the parents are asking if you need help, be honest. While it is easy to get carried away with the wedding expenses, be sure to set a budget, and stay within the budget. If you can't afford something, then you will have to go without that particular item for your wedding. It is better to stay within your budget than to go overboard with your spending and start your marriage with a huge pile of debt. One of the easiest ways to cut the budget is to cut the guest list. Ask yourself if your 4th cousin, twice removed really needs to be invited, and if the answer is no, then consider going through the guest list and removing some of the guests. Although everyone usually develops their custom wedding expenses budget, here are some of the traditional roles of the families in weddings. The Bride's Family: The bride's family is usually responsible for covering the majority of the wedding expenses including the wedding dress, the venue, the invitations, the decorations, wedding photographer and videographer, the wedding cake, the reception, the DJ, etc. The Groom's Family: Traditionally, the groom's family is to provide the money for the honeymoon, the bouquets and boutonnieres, the minister's fee, and anything else they would like to contribute. The Bride: The bride should budget for, the groom's wedding band, gifts for her bridesmaids and maid of honour, hair and makeup on the wedding day, wedding gift for the groom, etc. The Groom: The groom's financial role includes the bride's engagement and wedding ring, gifts for the groomsmen, wedding gift for the bride, etc. The Wedding Party: While some brides are financially stable enough to be able to purchases dresses and shoes for their bridesmaids, in most cases, the bridesmaids and maid of honour are responsible for buying their own dresses and shoes. They are also responsible for paying for their own hair and makeup on the day of the wedding. The groomsmen are expected to pay for the rental of their own tuxedos. While the bride's family traditionally pays for the majority of the wedding expenses, the wedding expenses can actually be divided in any way. Many times, the groom's family will offer to split the entire cost of the wedding with the bride's family. When the bride and groom are able to pay part of the price, the three families can find a way to divide the cost in a way that benefits everyone involved.