Funerals and Weddings, a waste of money.

[Clueless Morgan]

But by tradition it's the bride's father who foots the bill; so unless that's you, enjoy the ride (aka the bride) and cram as much of the buffet as you can fit into your pockets.

Unfortunately, tradition wasn't followed in my case. My wife and I paid for the whole thing! But, like I said, I found the price reasonable so no complaints here.

I also think this tradition is tied to the age of the couple getting married, too. I feel like I've lately seen younger couples getting married on mommy and daddy's dime, but older couples (30s or older) seem to be expected to foot their own bill.

When my oldest sister got married at the age of 26, my dad offered to pay 100% of the cost for them to elope in Vegas, otherwise he would donate only a certain amount to their wedding - still a substantial amount, but he wasn't going to pay for the whole thing. (If I remember correctly, her wedding cost around $10k). She and her second husband footed the bill for their wedding, which was way less expensive.