Even if you’re not the one getting married, wedding costs can wreak havoc on your budget.
The average guest spends $888 for each wedding, including travel and accommodations, attire and a gift, according to a new survey from The Knot. (That’s just to attend, by the way. Bridesmaids and groomsmen spent even more, an average $1,154.)
Pre-wedding festivities can even more expensive to attend than the wedding itself. Bachelor party attendees spent an average $738, or $1,532 if travel and lodging was required, the survey found. Bachelorette party spending averaged $472 and $1,106, respectively.
Multiply those outlays by an average three weddings per year, and celebrating other people’s marriages is no small expense.
A big contributor: One in 5 weddings is a “destination wedding” somewhere other than the couple’s home, per The Knot. Travel costs can quickly add up for friends and family attending.
Nearly 40 percent of consumers say they have spent more than $600 on travel for a wedding, according to a recent survey from Priceline.com. That includes 15 percent who have shelled out $1,000-plus. The travel site surveyed 1,016 adults age 21 and older during February.
Try these five strategies to keep costs in check: