And the Groom Pays for What?

Garrett and Kristi's Groomals in Down Town St. George Utah.

Picture by Alisha Shaw with One Memory at a Time.

Article published in The Spectrum by Julie Hinton.

After the family and friends have gotten to see the engagement ring and the excitement starts to settle, there is a lingering question that emerges from the bride, the groom and, especially, their parents: "How much is this going to cost me?"
Often it is automatically assumed the bride and the bride's family takes on the burden of emptying their pockets for the special day. If you are following tradition there are a few expenses that are expected of the groom and his family also.
Expenses that are the groom's responsibility are to pay for the bride's wedding ring and the honeymoon. Other costs the groom and his family are responsible for are the marriage license, the officiant's fee, the rehearsal dinner and the groomsmen attire.
An often overlooked expense for the groom is certain floral pieces. If the floral is held or worn, it is the responsibility of the groom. This includes the bride's bouquet and all the bridal parties and families boutonnieres and corsages. This is a way for the groom to honor his bride and the special people in their lives they want to recognize on their wedding day.


The traditional way of paying for things is not the only way it is done anymore. It is not uncommon these days to see a bride and groom paying for their entire wedding themselves or paying a large portion of the bill. Many couples are getting married at older ages and are more financially stable and able to contribute to their wedding.
A more modern way of figuring out who pays for what, is for the bride and groom to come up with a fairly accurate quote and have their families pick and choose what they would like to contribute.


Often the parents of the bride and groom will offer an amount they are willing to spend on the entire wedding. Anything additional the bride and groom may want at their wedding is a cost they will pay for themselves.
Another way to split up the bill is into an equal three way split. The bride and groom pay for a third, the bride's parents pay for a third and the groom's parents pay a third. This way the burden of paying for a wedding is spread out.