Finances: Who pays for what?
The important thing to remember when planning your wedding, be it your first, second or ninth, is that it can be a most beautiful and memorable event - regardless of how much money is spent. It is imperative that you and the groom discuss openly what you want for your wedding day, and be realistic about the financial undertaking.
The following list is a traditional breakdown of expenses and responsibilities, and should serve only as a guideline for how you choose to divide costs. With divorced parents, second marriages, uneven guest lists and long distance weddings, there are no hard and fast rules. Take the following suggestions and shuffle them to meet your specific conditions.
- The engagement party, if you host it.
- The invitations, announcements, enclosure cards, personal stationery and thank you notes, including stamps for mailing.
- The wedding dress, veil and accessories.
- The bride's trousseau of clothes and lingerie.
- The bride's parents' wedding attire and the attire required for any family members still living at home.
- The groom's ring.
- A wedding gift for the bridal couple.
- Gifts for the attendants.
- All hotel accommodations for your out-of-town attendants.
- Any bridal consultant fees.
- All expenses of the ceremony, except for those specified as the groom's family expenses (list follows), including rental fee for the church or ceremony site and fees for any additional equipment, such as aisle carpets or candleholders.
- Fees for wedding participants such as the organist or soloist, but not including the ceremony official.
- All expenses of the reception:
- Rental fee for the site.
- All food and beverage charges.
- All catering charges.
- The wedding cake or cakes.
- Music.
- Fees for such items as a guest book/wedding register.
- Fees for additional equipment.
- Fees for additional help.
- The following flowers:
- All flowers used for decorating the ceremony and reception sites.
- Bouquets or corsages for the bridesmaids, honor attendants and flower girl.
- Flowers or corsages for any other wedding participants.
- Corsages or flowers for any relatives or friends who may have helped.
- Flowers sent before your wedding day to any hostess who entertained for you and the groom.
- Bride's photograph taken before the ceremony.
- All photography and any recordings or videotaping of the ceremony or reception site.
- All charges for transporting the bridal party to the wedding site, and from there to the reception site.
- All expenses involved in parking cars, security and traffic control.
- The engagement ring and wedding ring.
- A wedding gift for the bridal couple.
- The marriage license.
- The groom's parents' personal wedding attire and accessories.
- Gloves, ties and ascots for all men in the wedding party.
- Hotel accommodations for the groom's out-of-town groomsmen.
- Gifts for the best man and groomsmen.
- The rehearsal dinner.
- Ceremony official's fee.
- Bride's flowers, including going-away corsage and throwing bouquet.
- Groom's boutonniere and those for his groomsmen.
- Corsages for mothers and grandmothers.
- Complete honeymoon trip.
