Wedding planner in the East offers advice on being a wedding guest when budgets are tight
The average cost of attending a wedding is now £567
We've been catching up with wedding experts after figures from new research by Experian show almost one-third (31%) of us have declined an invitation to a loved one's special day.
It also revealed that the average cost of accepting a wedding invitation now stands at £567.
Rebecca Short, owner of Parsons Weddings & Occasions, says she's unsurprised that people are having to turn down the big occasion when the cost of living is so high:
'There's so many prices and costs involved in attending weddings just as a guest, let alone obviously having the wedding yourself as the Bride and Groom. It's down to the outfit you want to wear, the gift, the travel, the accommodation, there's so many things to think about.'
'A lot of that would mainly be accommodation and travel, a lot of people have weddings abroad now as well, so if you're attending those it'll be even more than that because you've got flights and everything.'
How to save money on going to weddings?
Sian Belton owns Busy Brides Wedding Planners, which helps couples in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, she had these tips for how to get involved without forking out a fortune:
"You can try and car share if you've got a long way and other guests are going to the same place, especially with petrol costs being so high.
"If you have to come from afar then obviously the earlier you book your train ticket, more often than not the train ticket's a lot cheaper.
"Most people buy a new outfit for a new wedding, so you could look to hire."
How to save money on organising MY wedding
When it's your big day it's easy to go all out and put expenses to the back of your mind but, at a time when inflation is through the roof - it might not be a bad idea to want to save in places.
Parsons Weddings & Occasions owner Rebecca ranked the three most important aspects of a wedding worth splashing the cash on and the three areas where money can be best saved.
What to spend money on:
1) Photographer - 'The photos that you've got you'll look back on for years and years to come. You've got to have a good photographer. If you've not spent enough on the photographer then it will show, so you've got to spend the right amount.'
2) Catering - 'A lot of guests remember the food. You spend about 3 hours eating - that's a big part of the day.'
3) Florists - 'Spending money on the flowers does make a difference. It's the time and effort that the florist puts in, it takes a lot of hours and it takes a lot of skill to be a florist. I would spend the money on the flowers as well.'
What to save on:
1) Favours - 'Favours are usually little gifts that you have near the place setting for each guest. No one really thinks about getting a favour, no one cares. You're getting a free meal as being a guest at a wedding, you really don't need anything else to take away.'
2) Decorations - 'People spend so much on decorations that they really don't need to spend. You can do a lot of it yourselves, being creative - looking online, getting ideas on Pinterest. Recycling and reusing things that you might use every day that can be used as a vase for some flowers on tables. Just simple things like that where you can save money. It might be little things here and there but it will add up in the long run.'
3) Free bar - 'I don't see the relevance or need for this. Just have a normal bar which people would pay for like they would on a night out in the pub. You don't need to put on a free bar, that's a massive unnecessary expense."
Sian Belton also had this advice for couples wanting to consider their guests budgets when planning their wedding:
"Most brides and grooms are more savvy now. I usually tell mine make sure there is local accommodation so people don't have to get taxis far and wide.
"Make sure there is affordable accommodation. And more importantly check the venue's bar tariff, could end up spending £20 on two drinks, so consider your guests before they've even arrived.
"And also consider what time you're going to finish, if you're going to finish at 2am you're less likely to be able to get taxis so people will have to get hotels."