According to tradition, the bride and her family should cover the majority of expenses including the bride's dress, venue hire, cake, decorations and other services, while the groom's main responsibilities are to pay for the engagement ring, honeymoon and the flowers for the bride.
If you are following the rules of tradition, the bride's family is expected to bear the brunt of the expenses including the wedding dress, bridesmaids gifts (bridesmaids are still expected to buy their own dresses), the wedding planner or coordinator, the invitations, the flowers, the wedding reception, photography, ...
Traditionally, the bride's family foots the majority of the bill, but that's not stopping modern couples from spending their own savings to have the wedding they want.
Bride's Parents and/or Family Members
If you're going the very traditional route, the answer to the question “who pays for the wedding?” is “the bride's family.” But you'll see that even in traditional roles, the bride's family doesn't actually pay for everything—but they're definitely a big part of the equation.
If you don't feel you can be on the hook for an entire wedding, you have statistics that can back you up. So here's how it breaks down. On average, the bride's parents usually spend 44 percent of the overall budget, while the couple contributes 43 percent and the groom's parents pop for about 12 percent.
Traditionally speaking, though, the bride's family pays for the bulk of the wedding—venue, reception, photographer, flowers, etc. As such, the mother of the bride is typically more 'in charge' of these things (along with the bride, of course) than the mother of the groom is.
According to tradition, the bride and her family should cover the majority of expenses including the bride's dress, venue hire, cake, decorations and other services, while the groom's main responsibilities are to pay for the engagement ring, honeymoon and the flowers for the bride.
Of course, it would be amazing to give your daughter thousands and thousands of dollars as a wedding gift, but not at the risk of making your own financial situation dire. Depending on their relationship with the bride, wedding guests typically give between $50 – $150 when making a monetary gift.
Traditionally, the father of the bride is financially responsible for the wedding. Nowadays, that's not always the case, and that's okay. Sometimes the bride and groom will contribute, as well the parents of the groom. Even if you're not paying for the wedding, offer to help deliver payments to the vendors.
Do I Have to Follow Tradition? Traditionally, it is the responsibility of the bride's family – specifically, her mother and father – to pay for most of the wedding. It's not clear exactly how this tradition started, but it's thought to have evolved from the practice of the bride's family paying a dowry to the husband.
The bride's side of the family traditionally pays for the bride's wedding dress and the bridesmaids' dresses. Increasingly, however, bridesmaids are paying for their own dresses.
In the very recent past, parents would contribute plus give a gift. However, parents are no longer responsible for any of the cost of their children's weddings these days. So anything you give is a gift. If you contributed a sum of money, that is your gift.
The mother of the bride plays the role of hostess, meaning you should spend some time greeting guests during the reception. Although there are exceptions, other wedding-day duties may include sitting at the parents' table and dancing with the father of the bride to help warm up the dance floor.
Splitting wedding costs equally between the couple and their families is becoming more common across the board: The Knot 2021 Real Weddings Study found that couples pay approximately 49% of their wedding costs, with their families covering the rest at 51%.
A ring dish or jewelry box is a great wedding day gift. Many ring dishes and jewelry boxes can also be personalized with the bride's new name and wedding date to make it a keepsake she will never forget. If you want to give a really generous gift, you could gift a piece of jewelry with the ring dish or jewelry box.
Average cost of a wedding per state
New South Wales – the average wedding spend in NSW ranges from $37,108 to $41,245. Victoria – couples in Victoria pay an average of $36, 358 to $37,430 for their wedding. South Australia – in South Australia couples spend an average from $30,307 to $31,124 on their wedding.
While it is not mandatory for the mother of the bride to give a gift to the bride on her wedding day, many moms want to go above and give her a little something as a surprise. We see more day of wedding gifts becoming the norm, and we're happy to help with some unique gifts for the bride from her mother.
The average wedding gift is around $100 (per guest), and this baseline is a great place to start. If you're bringing a plus-one, then you can give $200 as a couple.
Put succinctly, tradition states that the father of the bride is responsible for paying for the wedding.
The bride's family often pays for the majority of the wedding, including the ceremony, reception, and any other associated costs. In contrast, the groom's side of the family is expected to pay for the wedding's rehearsal dinner and honeymoon.
Traditionally the parents of the bride pay for all expenses related to the wedding ceremony and the wedding reception. This includes the wedding dress, décor, photography and video, wedding day transportation and even lodgings for the bridal party.
The average cost of an Australian wedding is said to be $54,295. That figure broken down looks a little something like this…
From walking down the aisle first to last, the traditional order is: Mother of Bride, Mother of Groom, Grandparents of Bride, Grandparents of Groom, Groom, Officiant, the Wedding Party, Maid of Honor and Best Man, Ring Bearer, Flower Girl and lastly the Bride and her Father.