The ultimate guide to cost-splitting your wedding

Don’t find yourself in the middle of a disagreement regarding budget. To help stave off any awkward conversations, we’ve put together the ultimate guide to cost-splitting your wedding. 

The ring is on your finger, the phone calls have been made. You’re officially getting married! There’s so much to organise. But here comes the hard part – who pays for what? Some families are traditional, and others are a little more contemporary. Some couples pay for everything and others rely on the generosity of their family.

But what’s the black-and-white, really sticky stuff when it comes to splitting the bill?

Cost-splitting your wedding: the traditional route

Way back when, the wedding cost fell on the bride’s family. That’s right, the bride’s father picked up the cheque for most of the expenses: the wedding dress, the venue, the photographer, the cake and even the invitations. If it wasn’t for the generous family, weddings would have been in someone’s backyard with no one there as no invites were sent out.

But, this is a little dated. Modern brides are keeping their last names, splitting the cost and even contributing themselves. 

This can still be a bit of a precarious conversation, however. Money chats are never easy, but they’re easier to deal with when done early in the planning. There are no surprises, and no one is caught off guard about what they may or may not owe.

Traditionally, the bride’s family paid for:

• The wedding ceremony (venue, decor, music)
• Reception (venue, food, and drinks)
• The bride’s gown and accessories
• Wedding planner fees
• Flowers and stationery
• Photography and Videography

Meanwhile, the groom’s family was expected to cover:

• The rehearsal dinner
• The groom’s attire
• Honeymoon costs
• The officiant’s fee

If you’re not going down this traditional path – this guide could help to clear the air.

Cost-splitting your wedding: the facts

• Easy Weddings’ Insight Report for 2025 revealed that couples are waiting an extra 12 months on their engagement so that they can contribute to the wedding themselves.
• The average Australian couple is looking at an estimated $35,000 for their wedding day.
• People are getting married later in life – with more financial freedom and assets, as well as disposable income.
• Sixty-six percent of Australian couples are receiving financial assistance from their family and friends.

With the statistic that the majority of couples will be splitting their wedding between themselves and their families, this is where it becomes crucial to decide who’s paying for what.

Cost-splitting your wedding: the ultimate guide

The first step to take before anything else is decided is to work out your budget. What is realistic? What can be paid upfront? What is the price to have your dream wedding but within reason? Nothing can be done without crunching those numbers. 

Now, you can work out who can cover what expense with the least amount of drama. You’ll be able to free up money and emotional energy to work out where to put those exes to can’t be next to each other on the seating chart – you know, the real stuff!

The venue

Probably the biggest expense of the day is the venue. But even venue costs can be separated out as well: one party could look after catering and the other the bar costs. 

Decide on where the venue is, is it closer to the bride or groom’s family? Whoever it is closer to could take on more of the cost out of convenience. After this, see if you can divide up the costs of what the venue provides. If the price is more than you had planned for, this can be a cost you split among the families.

The wedding dress

A big one. Many girls dream of their wedding dress their whole lives. And, for this reason, the bride and her family will normally take on this cost.

Makeup and hair

Another cost that is normally absorbed by the bride and her family. When it comes to the bridesmaid’s, they traditionally cover this cost themselves. The bridesmaid’s dresses? That one is a hotly debated topic that often comes down to the cost expectation of the dress itself. 

Photographer

Although ‘traditionally’ this would be the groom’s family – this one feels much more that it would be the bride and groom’s cost. It’s for their wedding album and photographers are now content creators for the bride and groom’s channels and aesthetics. Wedding photography is a whole new ballgame now!

Invitations

Traditionally, the bride’s family paid for the invitations. But now, so much of the wedding planning and inviting is done digitally. This is a cost that can be incurred by the couple as they can have access to the digitised invitation as well as the wedding website. 

Cost-splitting your wedding: the conclusion

It’s 2025, and having hard and fast rules that apply to every wedding is unrealistic. The best thing you can do is be upfront about costs. Ask family and friends what they’re willing to pay for and start with a budget that won’t blow out and cause tension.

Start a Google spreadsheet or document that can be shared with those who need to see it. Within this are the cost breakdowns, what is owed and who is paying for what. This way, down the track, there’s been transparency from the jump.