It’s undeniably hard to be single these days. So, when someone finds their “person,” it’s easy to see why they want to also celebrate with a few hundred or so of their closest family and friends. However, anyone who has ever been involved in or attended a wedding knows how much one particular day can quickly rack up.
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Due to high wedding costs and other daily expenses (have you seen the price of eggs lately?), many brides don’t expect to pay for everything on their wedding day. More recently, they have also begun asking their bridesmaids to invest in the event.
One TikToker vehemently disagreed with brides not paying for their bridesmaids’ expenses, which caused some discourse on the app.
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A TikTok video has users debating if brides should pay for bridesmaids.
On Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, TikTok user Claudia Sokolova shared a video answering the question, “should you make your bridesmaids pay their own way for your wedding?”
Claudia, who told her followers that she was getting married in August 2023, said she wasn’t planning on making her bridesmaids “pay for a single thing.”
According to Claudia, weddings are solely on the couple getting married and shouldn’t be the bridesmaids’ “financial responsibility.” She then said if the bridesmaids were guests rather than in the actual bridal party, they would be paying significantly less than what goes into being a bridesmaid.
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Claudia then listed many traditional bridesmaid responsibilities, including the bridal shower, hen party (aka bachelorette party), hair, makeup, etc. She predicted those costs would set them back at least $1,000 to pay their way into the wedding.
The bride-to-be also counted the “physical” and “emotional” toll the tasks can take on the party.
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“To those brides who think ‘it’s a privilege to be my bridesmaid,’ I would implore you to think again,” Claudia said. “Your bridesmaids are donating their time, physical and mental energy for the ways you expect them to show up for, so asking them to pay on top of that when weddings aren’t cheap.”
The content creator further explained she would never feel “comfortable” paying thousands of dollars for an event she was invited to participate in. She then said brides should consider their bridesmaids’ “financial situations” before asking them to cough up any money. Claudia concluded the video with a shady message to the brides watching the video.
“It’s not just about you,” she declared. “Just because it’s your day doesn’t mean they care about it as much as you do. You are the only one. As a bride, no one cares about your wedding as much as you do.”
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Many TikTok commenters agreed with Claudia’s video. Others, not so much.
Claudia’s 2:57 video caused a stir in her comments. Initially, most of her comments were from users agreeing that brides should pay for bridesmaids and cover their party’s expenses.
“I thought it was normal for the bride to pay for everything, I was gobsmacked when I heard some have to pay for their own dresses 😳,” one user said.
“I was a 2021 bride. I paid for absolutely everything down to underwear, I could never ask for a cent from them when it’s my wedding,” stated another bride.
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On the other hand, TikTokers disagreed that their bridesmaids should pay for some, if not all, of their luxuries. One user thought all bridesmaids paid for their parts and said they planned on having their bridesmaids do the same at their 2024 wedding. However, some believed the bridesmaids and brides should split the costs 50/50 or at least have the money for their own dresses.
While it’s ultimately up to every bride (and their pockets) how they should handle their bridesmaids’ financial obligations, it’s safe to say Claudia’s bridesmaids won’t have any issues. The bridal party might have some extra coins to spend since the digital marketing manager’s video has gone viral.
Source: https://www.distractify.com/p/brides-should-pay-for-bridesmaids-tiktok