Wedding Expenses: Who Traditionally Covers What

A grand wedding is an expensive wedding, but traditionally, who pays for the expenses? And what specifically do the families of the bride and groom cover? The answers to these questions are what we’ll help you to understand in this post, so read on.

The bride and her family

There was once a time when the bride’s family was expected to shoulder most of the costs, but those days are long gone. Even though the bride’s family is still expected to pay a hefty share of the expenses, it isn’t a hard-and-fast rule any more.

Many modern weddings feature a 50-50 share of costs between the groom’s and the wife’s respective families. Sometimes, the couple may chip in with their own savings as well, so as not to cause too much of a financial inconvenience to their families.

However, typically, the family of the bride covers the following expenses:

• Wedding planner

• Engagement party

• Invitations

• Wedding dress and accessories

• Photography and/or videography

• Accommodation and transportation for bridesmaids

• Wedding ceremony

• Pre-wedding parties

• Morning-after brunch

• Decor

• Wedding cake

The groom and his family

The only costs that the groom’s family traditionally had to cover were the honeymoon’s. However, collaborative budgeting and planning has been the way to go about weddings for some time now.

So, the groom and his family are expected to cover the following expenses:

• Officiant fee/marriage license

• Honeymoon

• Corsages, bouquet, and boutonnieres of the bride

• Rehearsal dinner

• Accommodation and transportation for groomsmen

• Alcohol at the ceremony/reception

• Band/DJ

Expenses covered by solely by the bride and the groom

There are certain expenses that the bride and groom should cover on their own, without any contribution from their respective families.

For instance, the bride should ideally pay for her makeup and hair on her special day. She should also buy the groom’s wedding band along with wedding gifts that she’ll give to the parents, groom, and bridesmaids.

On the other hand, the groom should pay for his attire, along with the bride’s wedding band and engagement ring.

If the groom’s family can’t/won’t pay for the honeymoon for some reason, it’s expected that the groom will cover it from his own savings.

Tips for some great wedding budgeting

In this last section of the article, we’ll share some budgeting tips for you should put into practice if you’re planning to get hitched in Atlanta in a hurry:

• Sort out who pays for what right at the beginning: The budgeting should begin with both families getting together to determine who pays for what. Sure, the conversation may be a long one, but it’ll make everyone aware of how much they’re expected to contribute.

• Keep track of what’s being spent: Even with a good budget, you may end up overspending. So, it’s important that you keep track of how much money is being spent and on what. It’s also important to monitor who are spending the money and make sure that no individual overspends.

• Spare a thought for extras and hidden costs: From overtime to extra decoration to service fees to gratuities – there are several hidden costs that may have to be incurred. It’s best to take these costs into consideration well in advance of the wedding.