Paying for a Wedding

Correct, the current thought regarding weddings is that a couple should never expect anyone else to pay for their wedding/celebration/party. However, parents still oftentimes contribute to weddings these days. It doesn’t mean you cannot accept financial help from others if they offer it… you just shouldn’t expect it. It is also an unspoken rule that if others are not contributing financially to your wedding, then they get no say in the wedding (unless you want them to). So if you pay for your event yourselves, your opinions are the only ones that need to be taken into account. However, if parents (or other relatives) contribute financially, they may want a say in certain aspects of the wedding.

It’s pretty standard for couples to pay for their own wedding. If anyone throws in their two cents you can politely them know that you & your fiancé have everything handled. Or if they suggest expensive things you can say that’s beyond your budget (hint hint if parents want something they can pay for it. But beware money often comes with strings and sometimes a lot of stress). Plan a wedding you can afford, even if that’s an afternoon church wedding with light refreshments after or a small courthouse ceremony then host those few guests to a nice brunch or lunch.

Weddings, by todays standards, are huge luxuries. To get married all you have to do is have an officiant, a witness or two (depending on laws), and then the bride and groom.

If you are making the adult decision to get married (even young) then you need to be the ones to pay for it. Assistance can come from relatives and even friends in some cases, but you need to host the wedding you can afford, or wait until you can afford it. Anyone who expects you to go all out and pay for a lavish wedding (that you can't afford) can pay for it themselves. Accepting money (as seen in other forums), can come with strings attached and usually is more of a headache than just eloping.

I know it’s different every, but it seems like most the time the Bride & Groom pay. My fiancé and I have paid for a lot, but thankfully have had lots of help from family and friends. Weddings are definitely expensive, especially when you’re 18 and just got a house, so we loved any help we could get!

There is no typical engagement. I personally do not know of many people who married young, new in their career, or new to money. I think it would help you to break out of these expectations and plan the wedding you want and can afford.

If no one is voluntarily (without you asking) handing you money for your wedding, then your only option is to plan a wedding that the 2 of you can actually afford. That’s perfectly doable and can still be very nice. One of the best parts about paying on your own is that you 2 get to make all of the decisions without needing to fold to anyone’s input.

Parents can help pay for a wedding, and many of them do that. But you can't expect anyone else to pay for your wedding. It would be rude to expect and demand someone does that. Also if someone else pays they also get a say, within reason.

I got engaged at 24 and we were just really starting our life together on our own, like you said it's hard when you're young and people expect you to be able to pay for suck an expensive party. Im 29 now and we are just now planning for our wedding in December of 2022. We actually got married this past August, we learned that the only opinions that matter are ours and we are doing this our way.

People will tell you so many things. They all have opinions. While it's rude to demand money from people, outside of that, how you finance your wedding is your own affair and there's no need to listen to everyone at the same time. Make your own decision. Personally, my dad is putting in $5,000 and I'm doing my utmost to produce a cheap but nice enough wedding. Your choices are your own. Don't feel like you have to listen to everyone else's.