In the past, the parents of the bride would pay for the wedding reception, the ceremony and a whole lot more. That left the groom’s family paying for the rehearsal dinner and the honeymoon.
Of course, today you don’t have to go with the traditional means of paying for a wedding. This way one side of the family doesn’t get burdened down with all the wedding costs. Here are some ideas to consider when deciding who pays for what in a modern day wedding.
One of the modern options today is having the bride and groom pay for everything, including the wedding reception, on their own. Many couples are marrying older and have saved up money to spend on this special day. This saves both families from shouldering these costs, but sometimes this can lead to a lot of post-wedding debt for the couple.
Another option to consider is dividing up the expenses between the family of the bride, the family of the groom and the couple getting married. This can help make the cost of a wedding less stressful for everyone. This not only reduces the financial strain, but it can also make sure that everyone from both sides of the family feels that they are involved in helping out with the wedding.
The best thing to do is to sit down together and frankly discuss finances. Couples can sit down with parents from both sides of the family and discuss the wedding and what they can contribute. Depending on the finances of the parents, they may be able to contribute a lot or not at all. It’s often a good idea for couples to let parents know that it is perfectly fine if they are unable to contribute to the wedding financially.
The truth is that for today’s weddings, there aren’t many guidelines that you have to follow. The decision on who pays for what will depend on the financial situation of all involved, so each situation will be a bit different. The best thing for everyone to remember is to avoid offering to pay for something that they can’t realistically afford. With openness and honesty from everyone, couples and their families can come to a good decision on who will pay for what.