According to our recent poll (Should the father of the bride pay for the wedding?), results show that the archaic rule of letting the bride’s family pay for your big day has gone out the window, which doesn’t surprise us. But, now that the bride’s family are finally off the hook for the bill, it may leave today’s couples wondering about the tab. In a modern day of ‘going dutch’, who pays for what? While we’re not setting this in stone as ‘The Rules’ for splitting the bill, here is the tradition as to who should pay for what at a wedding …
Clothing
- The bride and her family should generally take care of the bridal dress, veil and accessories. As far as lingerie and honeymoon attire goes, we think the bride can manage that on her own!
- The groom and his crew (i.e family) take care of his outfit and accessories.
- While guests, bridesmaids and groomsmen can take care of their own attire. Flower girls and paige boys can be either paid by the bridal party of parents depending.
Honeymoon
- The groom and family pay for the complete honeymoon package
- Photography
- Bride and family pay for the complete wedding photo package and video
- Pre-wedding Parties
- Bride or Groom’s family should plan and host engagement party. If there’s more than one, the families should take turns.
- The groom pays for and hosts the stag do.
- The bridemaids plan and host the hen party
- Other parties (like kitchen parties) are hosted by the couple’s families
Rings
- The bride or her family pay for the groom’s ring.
- The groom or his family pay for both of the bride’s rings.
Ceremony
- The bride and family pay for the ceremony venue.
- The groom and family should pay for the marriage license and Officiant’s fee.
Reception
- Bride or her family pay for all the professional services; food, drink, décor and music.
Stationery
- The bride and her family traditionally pay for invitations, announcements, RSVPs, thank you cards or any other stationery.
Transport
- The bride and her family pay for wedding transport of the bridal party to and from the ceremony and reception.
How have you decided to split the bill?
Image from Etsy
