Weddings ~ Who Pays?
There's the traditional way to plan to pay for your wedding, and then there are the current standards.
On a previous page we started looking at who traditionally pays for a wedding. That page is here.
On this page I continue relating who paid for what in traditional weddings.
Traditional Financial Responsibilities of the Maid/Matron of Honour and the Bridesmaids:
- their apparel and accessories
- transportation to and from the city where the wedding is to be held
- gift for the couple
- shower for the bride (if given by them)
Traditional Financial Responsibilities of the Best Man and Groomsmen:
- rental/purchase of wedding attire
- transportation to and from the city where the wedding is to be held
- gift for the couple
- bachelor dinner (if given by them)
Traditional Financial Responsibilities of the Guests:
- transportation/hotel/parking expenses
- bar expenses (if the reception has a cash bar)
- gift for couple
Yes, some of these expenses seem like they were drafted in the Stone Age, don't they? Well, we can always learn a thing or two from history and now that we know what used to be, we can work on what is going to be for your wedding.
Modern Standards About Who Pays for What In A Wedding?
Today, nothing is etched in stone as far as concrete rules for who pays for what. The best way to work this out is as follows:The engaged couple should decide a few things on their own first.
- What kind of wedding do we want to have?
- Are we able to and do we want to pay for all the expenses ourselves?
- If we need help, who has offered to help and who can we ask for help?
Also, it's helpful if a rough guest list is drawn up before you go much further, so you'll have an idea of how many people you'll be expecting to attend.
Remember, even though you may invite 100 people, not all will be able to attend, so you have a little wiggle room here.
This guest list may need to be reduced or might be able to be expanded once you find out what your budget is so, although it sounds rather severe, divide your guest list into sections like "must be invited", "would really like to invite", "would like to invite but may have to cross off the list"...
Now it's time for the engaged couple and the Planner to meet with all the people who are going to be contributing toward paying for the wedding - their parents, step-parents, grandparents. It will be different in each situation. Besides enjoying each others' company at this gathering, there are four important things to be discussed:
A more modern approach to who pays for the wedding? See the four important things to consider, and much more...right here.
