Who pays for what

The tradition has been the parents of the bride pay for the wedding and those of the groom pay for the rehearsal dinner. This still happens in many weddings but things have changed because of couples being older and more independent. In that case the couple may pay for the wedding themselves. Or they may still get some funds from their families. Also, a bit of a caution is that the parents may sometimes fail to share that they are willing to pay for the wedding events.

An engagement party is purely optional and just depends on who wants to host one. All other events are traditionally hosted by friends, bridesmaids, and groomsmen as they may be inclined.

There is no obligation for anyone to pick up the bill for any of it. If no-one has offered, I would go ahead and plan what the two of you can budget for. Congrats and have fun planning!

The couple is fully responsible for the cost of their own wedding, unless someone else offers to contribute (but they are not obligated to).

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My parents told me that they planned to pay, but I said we were fully planning to pay for our own because we were grown and had been out of the house for years. They still snuck in a few things. 😆

Unless someone offers to pay, it is up to the couple getting married to pay.