One of the more common questions we get is: who is responsible for paying for the groomsmen’s formal wear? Traditionally it is an honor to be part of the wedding party and one of the responsibilities is for each individual groomsman to pay his own way.
That being said, there is nothing to stop the groom from picking up the tab. Often times there is a financial hardship for individuals participating in the wedding. Quite often we will have the groom pick up the tab for certain individuals of the wedding party when they know the financial situation of those individuals. In other weddings, we have had the groom or even the bride or grooms family pick up the entire wedding party’s tab.
We highly recommend that well in advance of the wedding, the groom inform the wedding party of their financial obligations. This will give the guys some time to budget and it also will help avoid the embarrassing moment when the store clerk asks for payment and the groomsman looks over to the groom with that shocked look and says, “Am I paying for this?”. Believe us when we say we have seen this more than once.
As a member of the wedding party, expect that you will be responsible for all the costs unless you are told otherwise. And guys look on the bright side: as much as you will be spending, the ladies in the wedding party will most likely be spending much more.