re: Opinion on an out of state wedding that requires a flight and a hotel

quote:

---

Is it common for the bride or groom to pay for the bridal party's airfare and/or hotel if they ask you to be in a wedding way far away? Between the flight, hotel, dress, shoes and a gift, I'm looking at $1,600 for THEIR wedding. I was fairly certain they were going to do it down here, but now they have decided to do it there.

---

It is absolutely common and the correct thing to do for the bride and/or groom to pay for some portion of the bridesmaids' expenses in a situation like this when long distance travel is involved. They should at least have paid for your dress or hotel if you pay for the travel expenses. Kind of classless & unthoughtful for she/them not to offer something, imo.

Eta - "The Knot" ...

quote:

---

We highly recommend the hosts also cover:

-Selected activities (a group sailing trip, a tour around town)
-Transportation to and from the ceremony and reception sites
-A shuttle to pick up your guests at the airport when they arrive

-Attendant Hotel Rooms. According to tradition, the bride and her family should cover lodging for the bridesmaids; the groom or his family should do the same for the groomsmen. If these expenses will burst your budget, tell your attendants their presence is a gift to you. (Keep in mind: If hotel room rates are $400 a night, that may be more of a present than they intended to give!)

-Travel expenses for VIPs with no other means to make it to the wedding (think: elderly relatives or the starving-artist bridesmaid)

---

You shouldn't expect them to pay for you to fly up to their wedding. If you can't afford it, then make up an excuse and don't go.

I know where you are coming from though, but think how much $ they are already spending on the wedding. Be a good friend and pay for your stuff.

Immediate family member or best friend... Ok.

Anybody else getting a package in mail with a card that says congrats.

quote:

---

I've traveled out of town for weddings and funerals of friends. After the latter, I promised myself I would always make the former a priority. Life is short, and if they're truly a friend, you will go. What's a couple thou in the grand scheme of things?

---

Yup. Got three weddings in four weeks this Summer: NOLA, Denver, and Chicago. Wouldn't miss any of them.

quote:

---

Yup. Got three weddings in four weeks this Summer: NOLA, Denver, and Chicago. Wouldn't miss any of them.

---

I had two weddings back to back weekends in Boston this past May. The chances of this happening in real life had to be slim, but I had a friend who married a girl from there and my fiancee had a friend who moved there after college. Unbelievable.

In any event, what would have been over 2,000 easy (Reception/hotels were the Intercontinental and Hyatt) came down to half that by planning out credit card points and such.

In reverse, a lot of my fiancee's side will have to fly in. But they had 18 months and we're paying hair and makeup.