For donations Click Here

Spending for Weddings

What is the maximum amount according to Halacha to spend on a wedding? Please support your answer with Torah sources.

Answer:

There is no maximum amount that a person can spend on a wedding. Certain communities, in particular among Chasidic communities, limit the spending on weddings to particular standards, to ensure that things won’t “get out of hand,” and those of lesser means will suffer. Beyond such communal limitations, there is no limitation to how much a person can spend.

As a halachic consideration, one could mention that a person should not spend an amount of money that will cause him to be poor, and have to rely on the support of others. This emerges from the halachah in Hilchos Tzedakah whereby a person is not obligated to give tzedakah (or maaser) where this will cause him to go beneath the poverty line. As the Rema rules (Yoreh De’ah 251:3), “one’s own livelihood takes precedence over that of any other’s,” and this is all the more true concerning payment for weddings.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *