If you thought that the cost of a wedding was mostly down to the bride and groom alone, you might want to prepare yourself for some bad news. I love a good wedding, however, there’s no doubt the money adds up.
I don’t mind spending money on sharing someone’s special day with them. In fact, I’m delighted to be asked to be involved. But there are ways I have picked up to keep the costs down. Here are some of the best cost-cutting ways I’ve learnt over the years:
Accommodation
Hotels are expensive and with some of the bigger chains, once you’ve seen one branch, you’ve seen them all. Shake things up with an Airbnb, more personal, and tends to be a lot cheaper.
Outfits
Granted, men do have it better than women here – one suit and you’re sorted. But there are loads of ways you can cut the costs – eBay for example. I often wear the same simple dress but will get a new hat if I want to mix things up.
Remember you don’t have to go!
Also, don’t feel you have to go to every part of the celebrations. Last year, I skipped a friend’s hen do because I simply couldn’t make it. If they’re a friend, they will understand.
You don’t have to go to the wedding either, remember. Yes, it’s wonderful to be invited, and it’s great to go. But you will not have a good time if you are worrying about the costs the whole time you’re there.
You see, weddings are expensive for everyone involved, including the guests. According to new research millennials spend a whopping £480 on average attending just one event. Considering we’re bound to have two or three weddings a year, you can imagine just how much this racks up to.
When you take into account everything that goes into attending a real wedding – going to the hen party, buying a gift, renting a hotel room, travel, buying a new outfit – it’s easy to see how things can get out of control so quickly.
Incredibly, according to a 2015 Experian survey, 11% of people in a relationship have spent more than £800 each on attending weddings and one in twenty people has even had to borrow money in order to be able to attend. That’s not even considering the ones choosing to get married abroad, yay for wedding season…
