Report: Kate Middleton's parents to contribute six-figure sum to royal wedding

(CBS) Usually when a couple marries, the bride's family picks up the bill for the big day. But that's not the case when the bride is marrying into royalty.

Still, Kate Middleton's parents are said to be contributing a six-figure sum towards her wedding to Prince William on April 29.

Pictures: Prince William and Kate Middleton
Pictures: Kate Middleton
Special section: The royal wedding

"It is something they absolutely wanted to do, and William graciously accepted," a senior aide told Vanity Fair on Tuesday.

Traditionally, the royal family pays the entire cost.

Middleton's parents, Michael and Carole, worked in the airline industry before founding their successful party supply company, Party Pieces, in 1987.

The donation will barely make a dent in the overall cost of the royal wedding, which reportedly will total more than $10 million, according to Us magazine.

A family friend told VF that Middleton's parents have coped well with the media attention surrounding their family, and Michael has been a particularly grounding influence on his daughter.

"Kate's feet are still on the ground, largely because of Michael. He doesn't get too swept up in the grandeur of her new life, and Kate loves him for that," the source said. "She gets a lot of her characteristics from him."