Why it is better to Pay for your own Wedding
A wedding is the ultimate ritual symbolizing the love of a couple. For their big day, couples seek to create the perfect personalized ceremony to demonstrate this love in front of their families and friends. The tradition of the brides’ parents paying for the wedding is being replaced by more couples footing the bill themselves. Though it can seem like a burden, there are many reasons why it’s better to pay for your own wedding.
If you are paying for the big event, it allows you to invite only those people you truly want to share in your celebration. If, for example, mom and dad were paying for your wedding you may feel more pressure to include all of their friends on your guest list even if they are people you’ve only met a few times. It would still be wise to include family members whether you spend much time with them or not as it could offend them and others if they are excluded.
Financing the big day yourself also gives you the freedom to design the ceremony your own way. If you prefer a beach wedding or a destination wedding while your parents would prefer a more traditional church wedding, it’s easier to say “it’s my wedding and this is how I want it” when it’s your money on the line not theirs.
With the financial climate as uncertain as it has been in past years, fewer parents have the ability to pay for their children’s weddings now than ever before. Many parents have had to use the savings accounts that were originally intended to fund their children’s weddings to fund their own retirements or even just to pay the bills after the financial decline of this decade. Add to that the fact that more couples are marrying later and therefore are likely to be in a better financial position and it just makes sense to have the couple bear the financial burden for their big day. Since engagements can be several years in length, there is no reason the happy couple cannot make a plan and save for their special occasion rather than having their parents foot the bill.
As more couples choose non-traditional wedding themes, locations and décor, the trend of paying for your own wedding also grows. The potential burden of footing the bill is outweighed by the fact that you can create your special day however you choose without the pressure of others to cut corners where you would like to splurge or spend lavishly on things you’d rather skip entirely.
