Traditionally, the bride’s parents are responsible for covering the largest portion of wedding expenses, including invitations, flowers, photographers, transportation and both the ceremony and reception venues. (Cue the major freak-out Steve Martin’s character has in Father of the Bride.)
There’s no strict rule requiring the bride’s family to be the only ones whipping out their checkbooks, but The Knot 2017 Real Weddings Study revealed that tradition still rings pretty true. On average, the bride’s parents contribute 45 percent to the overall wedding budget, whereas the groom’s parents contribute 13 percent.
But many couples still break down their wedding budget in a variety of ways. Since today’s couples tend to get married later in life (the average age of the bride is 29 and the groom is 31), to-be-weds seem to be more established in their careers and on top of their own finances, making it easier for them to contribute to their celebration. Couples who split wedding costs with their parents contributed an average of 41 percent to the overall budget. Ten percent of couples actually financed their wedding entirely on their own, and only 9 percent didn’t pay for anything at all.
Planning on dividing and conquering wedding costs? Start creating your personalized wedding budget with The Knot to track and manage every dollar you spend.
