Wedding Planning: Who Pays For What?
Part of the wedding planning is setting up the budget for the wedding itself and the honeymoon. Traditionally, the father of the bride pays for the wedding reception and majority of the expenses. The groom’s family also pitches in but normally they pay for the engagement, honeymoon and attire of their entire family and the groom’s entourage.
These days it’s not a question of who’s going to pay but how much is the entire expense. The modern approach to the wedding expenses have changed although some of the traditions still exist since it won’t be fair to just let the bride’s family handle most of the costs. It is also better to split the amount between families to make it fair for both sides.
For couples who want a practical approach, spending less than $10,000 can make a difference. Normally some fathers of brides would spend $20,000 or more for the cost of the wedding expenses. But nowadays it’s either both families chip in with the expenses or the couple loans money to be able to pay for everything.
But should you really spend so much for a wedding that you have to end up in debt?
If you want an elegant wedding to remember for a lifetime it doesn’t have to be too expensive and extravagant. There are couples who only spent less than $5,000 but were still able to enjoy the celebration and the honeymoon afterwards. The key is to stick to your budget no matter what happens because if you indulge on the aesthetics, you’ll end up short on cash as the expenses continue to snowball.
You can cut down the headcount of your guests and invite only your families and closest of friends. You may also reduce the headcount of your entourage leaving only the best man and maid of honor. Another thing you can do is to do the planning and everything without a for-hire wedding coordinator. Let’s face it, these professionals charge a huge amount mainly for their expertise. But if you’ll get help from family and some friends, you can reduce your wedding expenses since you don’t have to pay for the help you’ll get.
Many couples have ended up in debt because they want their weddings to be special and extravagant. Unless the two of you have stable careers, it is not practical to spend more than what you can actually make. And you don’t want to be in debt just because you spent too much on your wedding. You need to remember that weddings only last a few hours but building a life together and a home needs a lifetime.
A practical approach is even if you have enough money to spend for your wedding, investing for a house or a condo is more favorable. Spending only a fraction of your budget on the wedding won’t hurt your reputation among family and friends since they can understand your goal at this point.
Lastly, if in case both of your families will offer financial assistance for your wedding as a gift, don’t hesitate to accept it. You’ll definitely need all the help you can get especially now that you are planning for your wedding.
About the Author
Harrison Fray is has a lifelong passion with weddings and relationship matters. He can help you decide on the best groomsmen gifts cheaply and with classic style. Harrison also can help on picking the right personalized groomsmnen gifts. Stop by Go Wedding Gifts to see what Harrison recommends.
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