Although beautiful, most weddings are expensive, particularly if the bride and groom have an extended family and long list of friends. When planning a wedding, keep in mind that a number "rules" have been developed to serve as guidelines. These, of course, are not set in stone.

Today, in addition to the traditional wedding where the bride's family pays the majority of costs, we also see weddings in which the bride and groom pay for everything. Therefore, understanding the appropriate etiquette for a wedding budget can be confusing. In helping you plan your upcoming wedding, we wanted to provide information specific to a more traditional wedding, specific as to who pays for what.

Bride and Bride's Family

(1) Catering, dinnerware rental, table rental

(2) Wedding program, invitation, printed napkin

(3) Music, to include church organist/pianist, live band, or DJ

(4) Reception hall and/or church rental

(5) Wedding photography and videography

(6) Wedding cake and wedding favors

(7) Decorations for church and reception hall

(8) Bride's dress

(9) Groom's wedding ring

(10) Gifts for bridesmaids

Groom and Groom's Family

(1) Rehearsal dinner

(2) Clergyman fee

(3) Limousine rental fee

(4) Honeymoon

(5) Wine, liquor, and beer for the reception

(6) Groom's suit or tuxedo

(7) Marriage license

(8) Bride's bouquet

(9) Boutonnieres for groom, groomsmen, ushers

(10) Corsages for bridesmaids and mothers of both bride and groom

(11) Gifts for groomsmen, ushers, best man

(12) Bride's wedding ring

(13) Accessories (ties, gloves, etc)

Best Man and Groomsmen

(1) Individual wedding suit or tuxedo

(2) Bachelor party

Maid of Honor and Bridesmaids

(1) Individual formal wear

(2) Bachelorette party

(3) Bridal shower

Remember, the above mentioned are considered proper etiquette for a traditional wedding but you should never be afraid to modify them, as fits your circumstances. With this information, you have a better sense of how to manage the budget without feeling bad about asking for assistance where required.

The goal with any wedding is to create a festive, fun, and memorable occasion. Therefore, while you can follow budget etiquette, the bride and groom's family should be flexible, willing to help when and where needed. For any couple, the goal to a successful wedding would be to start with careful planning, paying close attention to both small and large details.

One of the most uncomfortable aspects of a wedding is money. Keep in mind that some situations may be that, one side of the family is in a better financial position to assist than the other side. For the bride and groom, it is important to be realistic about the number of invited guests. As an example, the normal rules of etiquette for a wedding budget would be built around 150 to 200 guests. For this reason, when the guest list is greater, the bride and groom should be willing to help financially.

In summary, the bottom line is that wedding budget etiquette for any nuptials is not difficult but it does require some degree of flexibility. Establish a budget from the beginning, which will help the family work on a budget, as well. The result will be that everyone is on the same page about what to expect so the focus can be solely on the union of the bride and groom, ensuring the event is amazing and nothing less, regardless of the budget.