Dr. Rif`at Fawzi, former head of the department of Shari`ah at Cairo University, states the following:
“In-laws should help the with whatever they can and share the burden with him. The groom is not Islamically obliged to shoulder the financial burden involved in the nikah preparation and the wedding etc.. If he does so, then it is okay, but he is not obliged to do that.
If, on the other hand, it is part of the local custom that groom carries out such issues financially, then there should be an agreement between the groom and his in-laws of how to run such an issue keeping in mind that each party should appreciate the attitude of the other and avoid raising differences at such critical and important time of the marital life.”