Traditionally, the financial responsibility for a wedding is divided mainly between the bride's family and the groom's family, with some costs covered by the bride and groom themselves.
Traditional Breakdown of Who Pays for the Wedding
Bride's Family:
- Typically pays for the majority of the wedding expenses, including:
- Engagement party and other pre-wedding events
- Ceremony and reception venue
- Wedding planner or coordinator
- Photography and videography
- Flowers and décor
- Wedding dress, veil, and accessories
- Invitations and stationery
- Transportation and accommodations for bridesmaids
- Wedding cake
- Morning-after brunch
These costs reflect the traditional expectation that the bride’s family shoulders most of the financial burden for the wedding day itself
Groom's Family:
- Traditionally responsible for:
- Rehearsal dinner (venue, food, drink, entertainment)
- Officiant’s fee and marriage license
- Bride’s bouquet, boutonnieres, and corsages
- Transportation and accommodations for groomsmen
- Reception music (DJ or band)
- Alcohol at the reception
- Honeymoon expenses
This division assigns the groom’s family a smaller but significant portion of the costs, particularly related to pre-wedding and post-wedding events
Bride and Groom:
- The bride traditionally pays for:
- Groom’s wedding band
- Wedding gifts for groom, bridesmaids, and parents
- Hair and makeup for herself
- The groom traditionally pays for:
- Bride’s engagement ring and wedding band
- His own attire
- Wedding gifts for bride, groomsmen, and parents
- Honeymoon if not covered by his family
Modern Trends
Many couples today deviate from these traditional roles, often sharing costs more evenly between families or covering most expenses themselves, reflecting changes in social norms and financial situations. Open communication about budget and expectations among the couple and families is encouraged to avoid misunderstandings
. In summary, while tradition places the bulk of wedding costs on the bride's family and certain key expenses on the groom's family, modern weddings often reflect a more flexible and collaborative approach to financing the event.
