Etiquette & Guests
Budget Etiquette
Our etiquette experts answer all of your budget-related questions.
Q: My dad won't pay for the wedding if Mom brings her new boyfriend. Help!
Q: My parents are giving me half of what they gave my sister for her wedding last year. This is so unfair! How can I get them to give more?
Q: Am I required to pay for accommodations for my out-of-town bridesmaids? I was planning to get one room for my bridesmaids to share (there's four of them) but two of them think they should get their own rooms because they're bringing their boyfriends. Do I have to pay for their guest, too?
Q: When I told one of my bridesmaids the cost of her dress, she freaked and said she didn't know if she could afford it. I wasn't planning on paying for my bridesmaids' dresses. What should I do?
Q: My parents are paying for the wedding, and they are constantly reminding me of this. How can I get them to stop making me feel guilty?
Q: What does the groom's family pay for?
Q: I'm working with a limited budget. Is it necessary for me to invite everyone whose wedding I went to?
Q: I have a giant guest list and limited budget. Can I have an hors d'oeuvres reception at the church for everyone and then invite a smaller group to a seated dinner-dance?
Q: Many of my family and friends are chipping in to help lower the wedding costs: My aunt is doing the bridal party's hair, my mom's best friend is doing the makeup. I would love to thank them in the wedding program or list the service they provided and their names. Is this totally inappropriate?
Q: My fiancé's parents are making a financial contribution toward the wedding, but it's about half of what my parents are chipping in. Should we include my in-laws on the invitation? What's the right wording?
Q: Should I ask my bridesmaids to pay for their dresses or pick up the tab myself? I'm not on a tight budget; I just want to know how it works.
Q: We're having a flower girl and a ring bearer in the wedding party. Who should pay for their outfits?
Q: We're getting married in California, but my fianc&eactue;'s family lives in Nebraska. His family is insisting that we're supposed to pay for their accommodations on the coast—and we just can't afford that. What should we do?
Q: To save on expenses, my parents want me to choose an inexpensive gown. ("You'll only wear it once!" they tell me). And they're insisting on a certain reception site (that I don't love) because, after all, they're footing the bill. Can I accept their cash but still get my way?
Q I earn more than my fiancé and will be contributing more for the wedding. How can I avoid making him feel inadequate?
Q: Do vendors prefer to be tipped in cash, or can we just add a tip on top of the final credit-card bill?
Q: How should my parents bring up the topic of money with my fiancé's family?
Q: My fiancé and I live a thousand miles from where I grew up. My mother insists that weddings should always be held in the bride's hometown. I think it might be too tough. How can we plan it from so far away?
Q: Who pays for out-of-town guests' hotel accomodations?
Q: What's the best thing to say to rude people who ask us how much we're spending on the wedding?
Q: If the groom's family is more well-off than the bride's, is it appropriate to ask them to pay for more of the wedding costs?
Q: As we build our budget, what kind of expenses should we plan to cover for our bridesmaids and groomsmen? What should they be covering themselves?
Q: My parents are paying for most of the wedding, and they're insisting that they should get a say in the plans. Should they?
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