My husband and I intended to pay for our wedding by ourselves, and we didn't ask anybody for a dime. My dad surprised us a few months beforehand with a check for $8,000. No special requests, no strings attached, he didn't even know or care exactly what we did with it. Maybe we're the exception, but I wanted to let you brides know that there ARE family members out there who may offer to help with the wedding just out of the goodness of their hearts.