ABSTRACT
Over time, considerable shifts have taken place in terms of wedding budgets, as influenced by cultural trends as well as the global economy. As discussed in Chapter 4, increased educational and career opportunities for women have led to a delay in marriage and have allowed more couples to contribute to the cost of their weddings, with 36 per cent of couples footing the entire bill (The American Wedding Study 2012). Other budget scenarios include contributions from one or both sets of parents; nowadays, it is rare for the parents of the bride to shoulder all of the expenses.
