Working out a budget for your wedding is one of the first things that should be done, once the date is set.  Will the ceremony be formal, semiformal or informal? A formal wedding, of course, will be the most expensive and the informal, the least. Nothing is set in concrete.  Who pays for what? Unlike a decade ago, the lines are no longer rigidly drawn. The burden of paying for the wedding has shifted in recent years from the shoulders of the father of the bride, to include the groom's family.  Also, with many couples marrying later and having money of their own, they are sharing in the expenses.  There are no longer any hard and fast rules as to "Who Pays for What", but a general guideline follows as to the traditional breakdown.

Traditional Breakdown of Expenses