A wedding is traditionally paid for by the groom's family. Keep in mind that the parents of the bride act as hosts de facto for the wedding, as per this time-honored custom. Traditional weddings typically have the bride's and groom's family pay for the festivities.
The groom's family traditionally paid for all costs associated with the rehearsal dinner and honeymoon, wedding day transportation, and the officiant. The groom paid for the bride's engagement ring, wedding ring, and groomsmen gifts. It is also common for the groom's family to pay for the alcohol at the reception.
A recent survey by WeddingWire indicates that the groom's parents cover up to 24% of the wedding plans. Here are some of the duties and responsibilities directed to the groom's parents during wedding preparations.
The bride's engagement ring and wedding ring(s), the groom's suit and accessories, the groomsmen's presents, the officiant's fee, the marriage licence, the rehearsal dinner, and the groom's family and groomsmen's travel and lodging are all customarily paid for by the groom's family.
Traditionally, the groom's parents are the ones to plan and host the rehearsal dinner. They are usually also responsible for hosting any other welcome parties for the rest of the guests. They may want to utilize the couple's wedding planner to help with the event, or they can choose to plan it all on their own.
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%.
The bride paid for everything, including the ceremony flowers, the gifts for the bridesmaids, the groom's ring, and the groom's gift. Traditionally, the groom's family has footed the bill for the wedding ceremony and reception, including the rehearsal dinner, honeymoon, and transportation.
In Easy Weddings' recent survey of 3,500+ engaged and recently married (2020-22) couples, the average spend for an Australian wedding was $34,715.
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.
"We're seeing people marry at an older age, during a phase of life where they have the means to pay for their wedding and don't want to put that strain on their parents." The verdict is in: it's no longer customary for a bride's parents to foot the wedding bill.
Even though many modern couples are breaking wedding traditions left and right, one tradition is definitely sticking: parents paying for the wedding. To be fair, many couples do try to pay for some of the wedding, but it seems a hefty percentage is still being shelled out by both sides of the family.
You might be aware that the bride's family is expected to cover the majority of the wedding day costs, while the groom's family pays for a variety of extra activities, like the rehearsal dinner and the honeymoon.
Wedding costs in 2022
The average wedding held in 2022, including both the ceremony and reception, cost $30,000, according to The Knot. That's the most couples have spent since 2018 ($33,931), before COVID-19. It's also $2,000 more than the 2021 average, which totaled $28,000 for the ceremony and reception.
The groom is traditionally expected to pay for the marriage license and officiant's fees, and buy the bouquet for his "date" (the bride), as well as her engagement and wedding rings and a gift; he should also purchase boutonnieres and gifts for his groomsmen.
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Given that the average wedding has 100 guests, the average cost of the wedding venue in Australia is $15,000.
Autumn and spring the time to wed
November (spring) and March (autumn) are the most popular months to get married, each hosting 12% of Australia's yearly marriages. October is also quite popular, hosting 11% followed by April (10%).
According to the WeddingWire Newlywed Report, parents pay for 52% of wedding expenses, while the couple pays for 47% (the remaining 1% is paid for by other loved ones)—so parents are still paying for a majority of the wedding, though couples are chipping in fairly significantly.
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.
Put succinctly, tradition states that the father of the bride is responsible for paying for the wedding.
Who Pays for the Mother-of-the-Bride and Groom's Beauty Team? As with most beauty questions, there is no hard-and-fast rule. Some brides may offer to cover hair and makeup services in order to thank the wedding party for being a part of their special day.
Colors a Mother of the Groom Should NOT Wear
It's best to avoid wearing white or any color that resembles the bride's wedding outfit. You may also want to steer clear of blush, beige, or other light neutral tones that may appear lighter on camera. "Skip black or white, unless the bride and groom have requested it.
The parents of the bride always sit in the first pew or row on the left, facing where the ceremony will be held; the groom's parents sit in the first row on the right. At same-sex marriage ceremonies, the couple might assign each family a side, and seat guests on "Bill's side" or "Kevin's side" accordingly.