If you have wondered about Wedding Expense Etiquette and are not sure who traditionally pays for everything that goes into making a wedding a day that no one will ever forget.
Weddings are glorious occasions and I for one love it when I get an invite. If it’s a close friend getting married or an acquaintance, it really doesn’t matter because I know I can get dressed up to ‘the nines,’ which is something every girl loves to do. I always look forward to seeing what the bride is wearing because it brings back memories of my own wedding and how wonderful I felt on the day. But who pays for what, and what is wedding expense etiquette?
(Related: Are You Financially Ready To Say “I Do”).
Wedding Expense Etiquette
Traditionally the bride’s family pays for the ceremony, whether it’s a church wedding or a registry and it is normally their duty to pay for the wedding reception too. This includes all the flowers at both venues. The bride’s family also foots the bill for her beautiful wedding gown. This includes all the accessories she needs to look gorgeous on the day. The bride’s parents also pay for the bridesmaids’ bouquets and the corsages for grandmothers.
However, it is the groom’s job to pay for the bride’s wedding bouquet as well as the mother’s corsages. He also gets to pay for his best man’s ‘Boutonnières,’ not forgetting the ushers, of course.
Preparing For the Big Day – Who pays for the Invites?
One of the things I enjoyed most when I was getting ready for my wedding was choosing the invitations and wedding programs. This lovely task falls to the bride and is paid for by her family. I got to choose some gorgeous napkins and table cloths for the reception as well, and my parents were very good about the whole thing. They gave me free rein to choose exactly what I liked. But then this is all part of the joy of getting married, you get very spoilt for a few months, and I loved it but then who wouldn’t?
The wedding cake and the photographer are also traditionally paid for by the bride’s family. The really personal things and the two most important ones are paid for by the bride and groom themselves, and these are the wedding rings. Other gifts for the bridesmaids and the best man, as well as ushers, are paid for by the bride and groom respectively. The wedding car is organised and paid for by the groom who also pays for the marriage license, and I might add the wonderful romantic honeymoon.
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Iskra Banović is our seasoned Editor-in-Chief at Blufashion. She has been steering the website’s content and editorial direction since 2018. With a rich background in fashion design, Iskra’s expertise spans across fashion, interior design, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and culture.