Who Pays? expensive private wedding reception to date. Can today's wedding be done for less and still be talked about in the best social circles? You can just bet your white lace garter it can. About $13,361, in fact, will cover the costs of today's average, formal wedding and reception for 191 people, including wedding attire, food, liquor, flowers, clergy fees, music and a photographer, according to Bride's magazine. With this in mind, one's thoughts and questions automatically turn to the subject of etiquette and expenses. Who pays for all this? Is it still the bride's wedding? Can the bride and her parents expect financial assistance from the groom and his parents? What if they don't offer? Exactly how is the guest list divided? We all know, as etiquette books tell us, the traditional division of financial responsibilities weighs heavy on the bride's side. The bride's family, as traditionally dictated, has paid for the wedding ONCE UPON A TIME WEDDING PARTIES WERE HELD IN THE SAME OLD PLACES. NOW YOU'RE HAVING THEM IN THE WIDE OPEN SPACES. That is if you're having your party at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Southfield. • Like our Magnificent Atrium Setting • Three Deluxe Banquet Rooms • A Grand Ballroom for larger parties Receive a complimentary honeymoon suite for the bride & groom when you book your party with us (minimum 50 guests) Also, the parents of the bride will enjoy their own complimentary suite (minimum 75 guests) For further information and arrangements Call our Catering Director, Mark Forman 350-2000 extension 7007 EMBASSY SUITESsm HOTEL 28100 Franklin Road Southfield 22 BRIDES 1989 I I One couple asked the groom's family, who lived out of town, what they could expect from them. "We're coming to the wedding," was their response. ceremony and reception, a wedding gift for the newlyweds, the bride's wedding attire and trousseau, wedding announcements, invitations, engagement and wedding photo- graphs, bridesmaids' bouquets, trans- portation for the bridal party, and a bridesmaids' luncheon. The bride herself has been responsible for her groom's wedding ring and wedding gift, presents for her attendants, personal stationery, a physical examination and blood test, and hotel accommodations for her out-of-town attendants unless they stay at friends or relatives. Tradition has asked that the