Unless you’ve been married before, it’s hard to keep the financial wedding rules straight. Historically, the bride’s family paid for most of the expenses, and the groom’s family got away with just paying for the rehearsal dinner.
However in 2011, with weddings growing more and more expensive for the average family and the economy what it is today, we are finding that both sets of parents, along with the happy couple, are contributing equally whenever possible. This is a much more equitable division of expenses, and may become the new trend going forward.
But fostering this new idea takes a lot of communication. Don’t assume the groom’s parents won’t help just because they aren’t cracking open their checkbook. They may not know you need help, or may simply want to be invited to take part of the planning process…so the first thing to do is ask. By involving the groom’s parents, you are inviting them to enjoy the benefits of the occassion, as well as the obligations needed to make it happen.
For those of you who want to know the traditional breakdown of expenses, the following rules would apply:
Bride’s family pays for:
Bride pays for:
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Groom’s family pays for:
Groom pays for:
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