Who Pays for What at the Wedding:

Now that you have glanced over our Complete Wedding "To-Do" List and are familiar with what kinds of things are involved in your Seattle wedding planning, you will need to figure out the best way to divide the financial responsibilities. As you start to divvy up the costs for your wedding day, it is helpful to know what has been generally accepted in American culture until now. The following list goes into detail to describe traditional wedding payment responsibilities.

Wedding Payment Responsibilities Breakdown:

Bride's Family

• Reception costs, including food, music, decorations, rental fees and entertainment
• Ceremony costs including rental fees, decorations
• Flowers for Ceremony and Reception
• The bride's wedding dress and accessories
• Invitations, announcements, programs, and mailing costs
• Favors
• Photography
• Transportation
• Accommodation for out-of-town bridesmaids
• Their own attire and travel expenses

Groom's Family

• The rehearsal dinner, including food, invitations, decorations and entertainment
• Their own attire and travel expenses
• A wedding present

Bride

• The groom's wedding ring
• A wedding gift for the groom
• Her hair, makeup, beauty treatments
• Gifts for her attendants

Groom

• The marriage license
• The bride's engagement ring and wedding ring
• The honeymoon
• A wedding gift for the bride
• The bride's bouquet
• Gifts for his attendants
• Corsages for the mothers and grandmothers
• Boutonnières for men in the wedding party
• Accommodation for out-of-town groomsmen
• Fee for the officiant

Attendants

• Their own attire
• Transportation to the wedding city
• A wedding present
• Bridal shower (bridesmaids) or Bachelor party (groomsmen)

Of course, today we see weddings financed entirely by the bride, the groom, the groom's parents, the bride's grandparents, or any combination therein. Putting a hard standard on a subject that has been the fuel for many a family misunderstanding has proven hazardous. Since our aim here at Seattle Wedding Info is to help you arrive at your wedding day as happy and excited as the day you got engaged, we have decided to provide you with the information that will help you understand what most people expect as they enter a wedding (above), and then give you tips to help you and your loved ones find a healthy balance for you, in your current situation.

Tips For Deciding Who Pays for Your Seattle Wedding:

Deciding who pays for what in planning your Seattle wedding can depend on your age, your income, your family's income, or the income of your fiancé and his family. Many couples who are older and have lived away from their parents for some time expect to pay for a large part of the wedding, themselves. In cases where the bride is well established on her own and is marrying a well established man, it is customary for the couple to proceed as though they will pay for the entire event, accepting any offer of assistance with gratitude, as a gift.

 Wedding financial responsibility can also depend on who has the highest or most lavish expectations for the event. For example, if a traditional balance of responsibility is in order but the groom's family expects a grand event even though your family anticipates a modest wedding day, they need to be willing to either help your family financially or stick to making the rehearsal dinner as grand as they want. Issues like these should always be discussed openly and with respect. The fastest way to alienate a future In-Law is to start viewing them as nothing but a big wedding day pocketbook. Remember that marriage is an expression of love and a combining of families. Issues that tend to be divisive, when handled with care, can instead make up the start of a life-long teamwork.