Wedding season is finally here and we couldn’t be more excited. Watching your family member or friend celebrate love is a wonderful feeling, but it comes with a hefty price tag.
Sure, you’ll be able to enjoy a tasty meal and drink all the booze you want, but being a wedding guest is certainly not cheap.
Case in point: one in 10 guests will attend at least eight weddings in 2023, which can set them back by over £6,600, according to Monzo.
This year, in particular, will see more Brits being wedding guests as demand for weddings soar post-pandemic, after years of delays and cancellations.
The average UK adult will attend three weddings and three stag or hen dos in 2023, with the pre-wedding shenanigans often leaving people forking out thousands.
Monzo’s report found the total cost of five hen-dos – including a new outfit, travel, accommodation, and pre-event pampering – will be more than £2,700 per person. Ouch.
All of that money being spent has led to a quarter of attendees going into debt as a result of wedding season.
As the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact spending across the nation, 48% of people have been forced to turn down invites to weddings, stag dos and hen dos.
Meanwhile, three in five people have admitted to cutting back on how much they splurge on this wedding season – for example, some are sacrificing buying a new outfit with 42% admitting to wearing something they already own.
A third of people are also opting for at-home pampering ahead of the big day, foregoing the luxury of professional treatments.
What’s more, the amount of saving pots opened on Monzo to save for hen dos has risen 428% year-on-year. Worryingly, for those saving, people are still falling £1,500 short of the typical budget needed – so much so that people are sharing their frustrations about the cost of being a wedding guest online.
Sarah* told me she was asked to pay £400 to attend a hen party in Wales. “I have five weddings to attend this year and I feel sick at how much it’ll cost me,” she adds.
Another reader, Lucy*, said: “My mate has friends in Wales, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and her pals thought a ‘middle ground’ for her was Aberdeen.
“I’m happy they’re getting married but I can’t look past how much it’s costing me before the actual day.”
So what can you do to cope with an expensive wedding season? Financial expert Alice Tapper says there are three golden rules to remember:
- No wedding is worth getting into financial difficulty over,
- Never let a celebration ruin a friendship,
- When the wedding invitations start to roll in, prioritise your financial health, and try not to overspend just to keep up with the party.
Tapper also suggests locking your money away. “With the cost of being a wedding guest surging, it’s wise to look ahead and save wherever possible to ease any future financial pressures,” she adds.
Being a wedding guest is fun but you don’t have to break the bank to do so. Remember it’s just one day, if you can’t afford to go to a hen/stag do, I’m sure your friend will understand.
*Some names have been changed to provide anonymity.