“In 2017, even as men and women are marrying later in life, their parents continue to pay.”

Who Pays for the Wedding?

Affording a wedding is still a family affair and the bride’s parents continue to pay for the bulk of it, thanks to centuries-old tradition.

“Hundreds of years ago, women were considered chattel and the bride’s family used to have to pay off the groom’s family in the form of a dowry to take their daughters off their hands,” as The Offbeat Bride humorously (but also kind of accurately) describes.

In 2017, even as men and women are marrying later in life, their parents continue to pay.

Only 10% of couples pay for their wedding entirely by themselves, according to The Knot 2016 Real Weddings Study. The study found that the bride’s parents tend to chip in the most, 44% of the overall budget, while the bride and groom pay 42%, and the groom’s parents offer 13%.

For more insights check out my latest post over on the Mint blog.

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