With the average cost of a wedding hovering around $19,000 these days, Dear Old Dad can hardly be expected to foot the bill. Instead, many couples pay for the wedding themselves, and even more share the expenses with both sets of parents. If you fall into the second category, use this information as a guideline, tailoring it to your family's situation. Most importantly though, be sure to make all expectations, agreements and offers very clear to all parties involved. No one wants a family feud to start over something as small as who's paying for those corsages...

• Expenses of the Bride and Bride's Family:
• Rings: Groom's ring.
• Pre-wedding parties: (Host) first engagement party.
• Stationery: Invitations, announcements, enclosures, personal stationery, newsletters, postage, wedding programs and thank-you notes.
• Clothes: Bride's wedding gown, shoes and accessories, formalwear for bride's parents, bride's honeymoon trousseau (honeymoon clothes and lingerie).
• Bridal consultant's fees.
• Flowers: Ceremony and reception decorations (except bride's bouquet, boutonnieres and corsages), bouquets and corsages for bridesmaids and flower girls.
• Ceremony: Fee for space (church, synagogue, etc.), sexton, organist and soloist, rental of aisle carpet, marquee and huppah.
• Reception: All professional service providers: caterer, bartender, musician(s) or DJ.
• Photography: Engagement and wedding photos and wedding video.
• Transportation: Bride's attendants and bride's family to and from ceremony and reception.
• Gifts: Bride's gifts to bridesmaids and flower girl and bride's gift to her groom.
• Optional: Bridesmaids' and flower girl's dresses, shoes and accessories, bridesmaid luncheon or dinner.

  Expenses of the Groom and Groom's Family