How much $$ are the Grooms parents expected to contribute to wedding costs?

[Anonymous]

First…go do the same research I just did. I hate all the lazy dipshits asking for “your source”.

Second…some weddings cost this but not many, many as there are easily several thousand in this area.

Third, if you are going to spend that on a wedding then you don’t care if anyone contributes towards it nor should you. So what’s the problem?

I cannot imagine an adult that is so regressive and angry that they call other people "lazy dipshits." Anyone with any analytical ability at all would wonder about sources when someone blindly throws out questionable "facts." I won't address most of your post, but I asked for sources specifically because I could not find any providing the same figures or that would distinguish between similar suburbs. I did quote a couple of sources below that come up immediately when you do a search for the average wedding in DC (one is an AI summary of other online sources) and they contain very different "facts" than what you posted:

SO, WHAT DOES A D.C. WEDDING ACTUALLY COST? (Wedding Planner)

For a traditional wedding (ceremony + reception) with 100–150 guests, most couples in the Washington, D.C. metro area can expect to spend between $75,000 and $125,000 on the more conservative end—for a beautiful, well-executed wedding that’s not over the top.

However, many of the weddings you see featured in luxury publications like Washingtonian Weddings or BRIDES often range anywhere from $250,000 to over $1 million, depending on guest count, custom details, and high-end vendor teams.

And yes—guest count matters. The more people you invite, the more everything costs: food, drinks, rentals, staffing, and more. If you’re planning for 250 guests, you will likely need to allocate at a minimum $150,000.

AI[b]:
The average cost of a wedding in the DC metro area (DMV) ranges from $50,000 to $125,000 for 100-150 guests. This wide range reflects the significant impact of factors like venue, guest count, and vendor choices. While some couples spend less, others opt for luxury celebrations pushing the costs even higher, exceeding $1000 per guest, according to some wedding planners.

[b]Wedding Planner:
So, how much does a wedding cost in DC?

If you're planning a 100-person wedding in the DC area for 2025, be prepared to spend.

Weddings in the Washington, DC area are not cheap.

While the national average for a wedding is around $20,300, couples can expect to spend between $32,000 to $70,000 for a 100-person wedding in the DC Metro area.

For a 100-150 person wedding, the average wedding cost is anywhere from $60,000 to $95,000 for a wedding in the DC area.

Remember, this is just the average wedding cost in the DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia (DMV) area.

[Anonymous]

So Wedding Planner Magazine says you should drop at least $50K? That's like deBeers saying a good guideline for an engagement ring is 2 months' salary.

[Anonymous]

1/2 marriages don't even last. crazy to spend 100k on it

[Anonymous]

There are 6.4 million people living in the DC metro area. The overwhelming majority of them did not and will not pay $250k for a wedding. This thread is just another one in the DCUM bubble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

First…go do the same research I just did. I hate all the lazy dipshits asking for “your source”.

Second…some weddings cost this but not many, many as there are easily several thousand in this area.

Third, if you are going to spend that on a wedding then you don’t care if anyone contributes towards it nor should you. So what’s the problem?

I cannot imagine an adult that is so regressive and angry that they call other people "lazy dipshits." Anyone with any analytical ability at all would wonder about sources when someone blindly throws out questionable "facts." I won't address most of your post, but I asked for sources specifically because I could not find any providing the same figures or that would distinguish between similar suburbs. I did quote a couple of sources below that come up immediately when you do a search for the average wedding in DC (one is an AI summary of other online sources) and they contain very different "facts" than what you posted:

SO, WHAT DOES A D.C. WEDDING ACTUALLY COST? (Wedding Planner)

For a traditional wedding (ceremony + reception) with 100–150 guests, most couples in the Washington, D.C. metro area can expect to spend between $75,000 and $125,000 on the more conservative end—for a beautiful, well-executed wedding that’s not over the top.

However, many of the weddings you see featured in luxury publications like Washingtonian Weddings or BRIDES often range anywhere from $250,000 to over $1 million, depending on guest count, custom details, and high-end vendor teams.

And yes—guest count matters. The more people you invite, the more everything costs: food, drinks, rentals, staffing, and more. If you’re planning for 250 guests, you will likely need to allocate at a minimum $150,000.

AI[b]:
The average cost of a wedding in the DC metro area (DMV) ranges from $50,000 to $125,000 for 100-150 guests. This wide range reflects the significant impact of factors like venue, guest count, and vendor choices. While some couples spend less, others opt for luxury celebrations pushing the costs even higher, exceeding $1000 per guest, according to some wedding planners.

[b]Wedding Planner:
So, how much does a wedding cost in DC?

If you're planning a 100-person wedding in the DC area for 2025, be prepared to spend.

Weddings in the Washington, DC area are not cheap.

While the national average for a wedding is around $20,300, couples can expect to spend between $32,000 to $70,000 for a 100-person wedding in the DC Metro area.

For a 100-150 person wedding, the average wedding cost is anywhere from $60,000 to $95,000 for a wedding in the DC area.

Remember, this is just the average wedding cost in the DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia (DMV) area.

Because it clearly worked on you...and you went and did the same research I did.

It actually didn't come up with any different facts, but rather confirmed my numbers. Even your fact about weddings costing $250k+ actually says many of the weddings profiled in Washingtonian magazine cost that...but as I am sure you would agree, a tiny percentage of weddings are profiled in Washingtonian and other magazines and of course they aren't going to profile an average $50k wedding

[Anonymous]

I would have loved them to profile my 50k wedding. Following us buying all the alcohol at Total Wine. Saying “give us the cheapest you got” regarding flowers because I seriously don’t care about flowers. Upgrading the cake because I like cake. Deciding “chicken for all” because we overdid it at Total Wine. Best party ever.

[Anonymous]

$0

[Anonymous]

We (brides) family paid for everything - grooms family offered to contribute but I didn’t feel like coordinating with another party and we were comfortable enough to just pay for it. They did rehearsal dinner however, I stayed out of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do groom's parents still pay for rehearsal dinner only or split the wedding costs? What is normal now?

I wouldn't bother. Most couples are eschewing large weddings. The trend is elopement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - are you asking this as the groom's family? Ask your son what he thinks. But I do think it is outdated to assume that the bride's family will pay for 100% of the wedding.

If the bride's family is paying, it's almost always because the bride's family is significantly better off than the groom's, and by paying for the wedding, they can drive more of the decisions (like the location, the venue, the guest list). I've had girlfriends whose father offered to fully pay ONLY if they hosted in their hometown and they turned it down.

No. Why would you ever think that you know anything about weddings and how they’re done.

It’s a long standing tradition that the bride’s family pays for the wedding and the groom's family pays for a dinner and maybe a honeymoon. Many families have dropped these traditions for a thousand different reasons. Many families also still follow tradition.

My father paid for the wedding and my father in-law paid for honeymoon and dinner. Both of our fathers are very traditional and wouldn’t have it any other way. My husband and I made all of the decisions without interference. We will continue the tradition.

So many cynical people.

[Anonymous]

I’m getting married next year and my parents are paying for most of the wedding. His parents also want to contribute substantially due to them wanting a say in the wedding . We are paying for personal things we want. Both of us from black families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m getting married next year and my parents are paying for most of the wedding. His parents also want to contribute substantially due to them wanting a say in the wedding . We are paying for personal things we want. Both of us from black families.

Why the eye roll? Who does get a say in the wedding?

[Anonymous]

As the single mom of 2 daughters, I will provide both with a set amount (likely around $25k). They can do with it as they please.

I’m saving for a debt free education, not a party.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are 6.4 million people living in the DC metro area. The overwhelming majority of them did not and will not pay $250k for a wedding. This thread is just another one in the DCUM bubble.

Nobody posting here has a 250k wedding either. Not worth discussing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would have loved them to profile my 50k wedding. Following us buying all the alcohol at Total Wine. Saying “give us the cheapest you got” regarding flowers because I seriously don’t care about flowers. Upgrading the cake because I like cake. Deciding “chicken for all” because we overdid it at Total Wine. Best party ever.

$50,000?

We got married in a park and rented the basement of our favorite bar for our reception.

We went to Wegmans to pick up our own flower arrangements and wedding cake.

I knew I found the right woman when she was cool with all this.

All in $10,000. And I think most of that was the booze from my fraternity brothers.

Our careers have since taken off and we aren’t afraid to spend money, but 15 years ago we had none. No way we were going to spend a lot of money on a wedding we couldn’t afford.