At What Age Do Parents Not Pay For A Wedding?


At What Age Do Parents Not Pay For A Wedding?

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It is a well-known fact that weddings are expensive. With the average wedding costing around $30,000, engaged couples usually end up paying for many aspects of the special event. 

Some parents help out their children with wedding costs. But, at what age does this stop applying?

There isn’t a set age when parents stop paying for their children’s wedding. If the couple no longer lives with their parents and are older in age, they usually assume responsibility for the majority of the wedding expenses.

So, the older the couple is, the less likely the parent will be to pay for much of the event. It is traditional for the parents of the happy couple to pay for the wedding especially the bride’s parents. But, in recent years, couples have been taking the responsibility themselves. This may be due to the fact that couples are getting married later in life and by the time they decide to say their vows, they have the means to pay for the wedding and all of its expenses. 

Engaged couples who still live with their parents and are younger in age may not be able to pay for such an extravagant event in which case the parents are usually happy to help out. Still, parents don’t have to pay for the wedding of their children but usually, it is a way to help them out and they volunteer to do so. 

There isn’t really an exact age when parents stop paying for their kid’s weddings and it is entirely up to them what they should do. It’s a good idea to sit down and have a conversation about it so both parties are on the same page.

Many couples don’t want to put a strain on their parents, especially if they are able to pay for the event themselves. It is still common knowledge that parents pay for their children’s weddings or at least a big part of them even couple’s nowadays are paying for more and more of the event. 

While age doesn’t matter too much if the parents are willing to pay for the wedding, if you are older and have been on your own for a while, have the means to pay for the expenses, then you probably shouldn’t put that burden on your parents.

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Do The Bride’s Parents Still Pay For The Wedding?

Wedding etiquette and tradition states that the bride’s parents pay for all of the wedding expenses. But, times change and with them, people choose to stray from tradition. 

So, do the bride’s parents still pay for the wedding?

As tradition has it, the bride’s parents are the ones who pay for the wedding. Although this isn’t mandatory and can depend if the bride and groom have the means to pay for the event themselves, usually the bride’s family pays for most of the wedding expenses.

It’s tradition for the bride’s parents to pay for the wedding. It is usually their responsibility to pay for all wedding expenses. Now, this can be different for every family since some couples get married later in life, are able to pay for more of the wedding costs, or decide along with their parents how they want to divide the expenses. 

Many couples will try to pay for some of the wedding but since weddings are so expensive they may need help. This is where the parent’s often step in. 

Traditionally, the bride’s parents are the ones responsible for paying for a majority of the wedding. However, this is entirely up to the couple and their parents how they choose to split the costs. If the couple is older then they most likely won’t need their parents to pay for the special event since they have already been living on their own for some time. 

Younger couples are far more likely to need help with wedding expenses. Most of the time, the bride’s parents still pay for some of their daughter’s wedding since it is seen as wedding etiquette and tradition.

Who Pays For A Wedding?

Weddings can be expensive. They involve so many details and everything from the invitations and decorations to the attire and food served at the reception costs a lot of money. Now, every family can decide how they will split the bill. 

Typically, the bride’s parents, groom’s parents, the bride and the groom have certain responsibilities when it comes to wedding expenses. So, who pays for what in a wedding?

Traditionally, the bride’ parents pay for the majority of a wedding but the groom’s parents also pitch in to help with certain costs. The bride and groom also have their own expenses to pay for for their special day.

Traditionally, the bride’s parents usually pay for a majority of their daughter’s wedding. But, the groom’s parents, the bride, and the groom also have some things that they traditionally pay for, too. 

While these vary from family to family, most of the time this is what is paid for and by whom:

  • Bride’s parents:
    • Engagement party
    • Engagement announcements
    • Bride’s attire
    • Floral arrangements
    • Photography / Videography
    • Lodging for officiant and bridesmaids
    • Reception
  • Groom’s parents:
    • Corsages / Boutonnieres
    • Lodging for groomsmen
    • Rehearsal dinner
    • Drinks at the reception
    • Sometimes floral
  • Bride:
    • Wedding flowers
    • Gifts for bridesmaids
    • Groom’s ring
    • Present for groom
  • Groom:
    • Marriage license
    • Officiant fees
    • Bride’s bouquet
    • Engagement ring / Wedding ring
    • Gift for bride
    • Boutonnieres
    • Gifts for groomsmen
    • Honeymoon

So, some parents pay for a lot of the wedding while others only pay for part of it. Sometimes the groom’s family pays for more and sometimes less. Some engaged couples pay for the majority of the wedding while others don’t. This is completely up to the bride, groom, and their parents. 

Though some things are done traditionally, they can be done differently if the happy couple and their parents decide this is what they want to do.

Final Thoughts

There isn’t a set age where parent’s stop paying for their children’s weddings. It’s usually discussed who will pay for what. Because of this, it is recommended for the bride and groom to decide what both sets of their parents will pay for what in their wedding. 

The bride’s parents traditionally pay for most of the wedding expenses, but as more couples are more independent and getting married later in life this isn’t always the case.

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