Who pays for what when it comes to your wedding party?

Hello Lovers,

It’s time to address an age-old question that I am forever asked when it comes to the Wedding Party - Who on earth pays for what? Disclaimer; This is purely an opinion piece, a space to share ideas based on my own personal circumstances, my friends and friends of friends and what we all did for our wedding day. Let it simmer in your mind, but take it with a grain of salt; everybody does things differently, and not one situation is the same.

Let’s kick off with how we divided the costs up:

Bridesmaids

We purchased their dresses, and shoes, and paid for hair and makeup on the day.

As gifts, I gave my girls a lippy each for touch-ups and a pair of peachy crystal earrings.

The girls paid for their own robes, tans and nails - or did their own.

Groomsmen

We paid for suit hire.

As gifts, we gave them cufflinks according to their profession - spirit levels for the builder, light switches for the sparky, dollar signs for the finance broker and planes for the pilot.

The guys supplied their own brown shoes and socks.

Now, here’s a few things to consider:

Bridal Beauties

Remember the two C’s - Comfort and Confidence! If you and you girls love to pamper yourselves with a glam squad then, by all means, go for it! But do consider your girls when it comes to how they are made up on your wedding day. If they don’t typically wear a lot of makeup or don’t tan, don’t make them cake it on. It’ll only affect their confidence, and you want them to feel beautiful too, right?

Give your besties the option of doing their own nails. That way, if they want to fork out for gel or perfect dip that’s up to them, and if they want a home job, that’s totally fine too! If you want to be matchy-matchy, you could purchase one colour and share it around the night before, the day of, or a couple of nights before the wedding.

Most ladies will have a nude or black pair of heels that they feel comfortable in. If they’re in nice condition, nobody will complain at the thought of wearing them on the day. Don’t get too hung up on everything being the same shade, you’ll be surprised what a camera lens captures!

Drum roll please… the answers are coming right up to what you do about the all-important bridesmaids’ dresses. Oh man, what am I setting myself up for! In all honesty (remember - opinion people) if you have a vision of your bridesmaids wearing a long pastel purple number encrusted in diamantes, you do you, boo - but I wouldn’t be charging them for the pleasure… because they’ll never wear it again. It will be more successful if you try to sell the dresses in a bunch after your big day - or if you’re in a position, you can gift them to your bridesmaids.

I’m hands-down obsessed with the mismatched dress trend! It not only looks STUNNING when pulled off but is a way of ensuring your bridesmaids are comfortable on your big day and end up purchasing a dress that they will become a staple number in their wardrobe.

YEAH the Boys

Guys tend to be a bit more cruisy, and you can very nearly guarantee that the shoe colour you’re wanting will end up being a similar colour to something in their wardrobe.

I’m out of opinions (surprisingly) on the suit, but I’d suggest if the groomsmen tend to get messy ask them to pay for their suit hire, then if there are any casualties you’re not left forking out.

I’m really hoping that this has been a huge help to those of you stuck in limbo around what to spend and save on. Weddings can be so hard with everyone putting in their two cents! Just remember it’s your big day and your budget so you do what you need to make it work, just be honest and upfront about any costs your bridal party will need to fork out for.

Until next,