It costs a lot to get married in America. Brides, before you start buying from suppliers talk to your husband-to-be first and discuss the wedding budget. Please don't go bridezilla and make unreasonable demands for your wedding. First, determine who pays for your wedding and will cover the largest percentage of your wedding budget. This will serve as a realistic guideline for couples who would like to know the basic etiquette in who pays for what.
Wedding Etiquette on who pays for the weddings has evolved for the last century. Traditionally, wedding etiquette books dictate that the bride's father should pay for the wedding. This was during the time when girls were kept by their fathers inside their house, not allowed to work and go to school, but do household chose and must have lessons from lady manners to teach them social etiquette and wedding etiquette in preparation for their life as married women.
In the old days, a a father gave his to a man he believed could take care of her after he passed away. Since he was giving the girl, it was fitting for him to pay for the affair. It was also a sign of his agreeing to the marriage. This is the reasoning behind the more traditional etiquette concerning who pays for the wedding. Times have obviously changed.
Wedding etiquette is much less rigid now on who pays for the wedding. The bride can go traditional, and ask the father of the bride to host the wedding and pay for the entire wedding expenses. The parents of the groom may also expressed their desire to co-host the wedding event This is especially appropriate when the groom's parents wealthy and are able to cover some of the expenses.
Most couples these days are both working and earning their own money. It is not a violation of wedding etiquette if they decide to take the expense of the wedding. In fact, many couples actually prefer to pay for the their own wedding. It gives them more control over all of the details. Often, traditional wedding etiquette is being set aside so that the couple and their family are able to choose for themselves.
Because of the high cost of living these days, paying for the entire cost of the wedding may be beyond the means of the parents of the bride or even of the parents of the groom. If the bride and the groom are earning money for themselves, they may consider paying for the entire expenses fo their wedding.
However, there may be parents who would like to contribute to the wedding cost. Brides and grooms should be sensitive with this matter. Don't say no to your parents even if you think they will hand to you everything that they have. It is their joy to see you get married and their pleasure to play a big part of your wedding (that is by shelling out money for the wedding cost).
One reasonable alternative is to sit down and discuss the wedding plans with your parents. Talk about the probable cost of your plans and see what they feel comfortable paying for. By doing this, the parents will know exactly how much they will have to pay and you will also know how much you need to provide.