6 SAVVY WAYS TO SURVIVE THE COST OF WEDDING SEASON
Wedding season is just around the corner! For some, that means a calendar filled with festivities and expenses. From bridal showers to bachelor parties to the actual ceremony, the cost to be a wedding guest adds up quick.
According to a recent study by BankRate.com, bridal party members should expect to spend approximately $728 for each wedding they are in. This figure includes gifts, attire and travel as well as associated events like bridal showers and bachelor parties. If you’re not in the wedding party but still attending the ceremony and associated pre-parties you are still shelling out the big bucks spending an average of $628 each wedding.
So before the cost to be a wedding guest wreaks havoc on your budget, prepare yourself with our 6 savvy ways to survive the cost of being a wedding guest.
Get the details
Most brides and grooms make wedding plans long before the save the dates or invitations go out. If you’re close to them, ask about the wedding venue. That way you know whether you need to start budgeting for travel expenses (if it’s a destination wedding), or if they plan to celebrate closer to home adding padding to your pocket.
Start saving
If your Facebook and Instagram feed are filled with engagement announcements and pics, now is a good time to start saving. That way you and your credit card statement don’t suffer.
Split your expenses
Travel and accommodations are the two most expensive costs to attend a wedding. Therefore, round up a group of relatives or friends and split a hotel room or car pool. It makes more sense to split the cost so everyone can save.
Recycle outfits
More than half of wedding guests buy something new to wear. Instead, take a page from the bride’s playbook, and look to something old instead of something new, or perhaps explore the options of something borrowed and if you really want, you can even make it blue.
Buy your registry gift early
Being prompt with the gift is a smart way to save. In addition to spacing out the expenses, you’ll have more registry choices to pick from. If you wait too long, everything in the mid-range price may already be snapped up and you could find yourself spending more on a gift than planned.
Don’t be afraid to decline
Although you’d like to attend every wedding and all the related events you are invited to, it is perfectly acceptable to decline the invitation, especially if it isn’t in your budget. Chances are the couple won’t be as offended as you think they are. And if you’re on a tight budget, it’s better to skip the weddings and bridal events of people you don’t know well or aren’t close to, so you have a little extra cash to spend on the people you are.
