The cost of being a wedding guest can really rack up.
If you’re still catching your breath from the last round of weddings you attended and wondering how you managed to splash quite so much cash, a study has revealed it’s likely you spent more to make your loved ones’ day special than the bride herself spent on the dress.
While wedding season in New Zealand is still a good few months away yet, it’s entirely possible that when it does come around you could see as many as four invitations slide through the door.
With the average guest spending close to $750 for each wedding, wedding attendees can expect that figure to quadruple over the season, and come in at over $3,000, the American Express study found.
Of course, we understand spending on this special event feels justified, but consider this: the price of a wedding dress is generally quite a bit less with most brides spending on average around USD $2,400.
The research revealed the biggest costs for guests came from spending on gifts (on average $85 each), the outfit (at $130), and accommodation (upwards of $130 per night) as well as travel costs.
If it’s any consolation, spending this year was actually down on last year where the average guest spent over $800 per wedding.
Of course, if you’re keen to keep wedding guest attendance costs down – and who isn’t – there’s myriad ways you can spend on a designer dress without the hefty price tag.
Take some time to trawl through your local consignment store – or better yet, rent your outfit. Our sister site Miss FQ recently put together a list of where to get the best designer rentals in New Zealand.
This way, you can hire the dress of your dreams and spend on the bag, the shoes and the sunglasses instead. Win-win!
