Growing up, most little girls dream of an elaborate fairy tale wedding in which they marry their Prince Charming and live happily ever after. Well, now the time has come to make that dream come true, but one question comes to mind. Who is going to pay for all this?

Traditionally speaking, the bride's family handled much of the costs, but today this is not necessarily the case and really tends to depend on whoever has the largest pocketbook. Now that more and more couples are marrying later in life, many can afford to pay for their own wedding.

There are certainly pros and cons to every scenario. With your parents footing the bill, you won't have to worry about going broke before you even get started. However, often times the one who pays tends to think they have the most say and may try to get their way when it comes to details. You may even want to consider dividing the cost of the entire wedding three ways and work as a group to create the wedding of your dreams. The main thing is to communicate with both sets of parents and yourselves and decide on the best plan. Remember, there are no set rules anymore and anything goes.