Everyone loves a wedding. An occasion to dress up, enjoy good food and watch their nearest and dearest celebrate their love for each other. But we all know weddings can be expensive and it’s not just the Bride & Grooms bank balance that’s affected by the big day.
A Nationwide survey has revealed that couples are now spending on average £800 to attend a wedding, a modest £23 increase from their 2015 survey.
After the stag and hen party, buying gifts and outfits, beauty preparation as well as attending the big day, the cost of attending is working out at just over £400 per person. With this in mind, it comes as no surprise that one quarter of those surveyed admit to declining wedding invites due to the cost and one in six admit to have borrowed money or become overdrawn to make sure they can attend that special day.
So who’s spending more? Men or women? Surprisingly men actually spend more than women! On average men spend £411 when attending a wedding, compared to £391 for women, a £21 difference.
Where is the money going?
Attending a wedding can be broken down into two sectors – the pre-wedding celebrations aka stag and hen dos and the wedding day itself.
Pre-Wedding Spend
If you attend a stag or a hen party expect to pay an extra £153 however more than a quarter of those surveyed admitted spending more than £200 for each occasion.
The traditional girls / boys night out on the town remains to be the most popular choice for stag and hen party’s for two fifths of the respondents, however stags prefer to party further afield.
Double the amount of stags celebrate abroad compared to hens, resulting in men spending more on the pre-wedding celebrations; on average men spend £171 while women spend £134. 
If you’re aged 25 – 34 prepare to spend the most at £217, overtaking the 18-24 ages group from the 2015 survey at just £199. The over 55s spend the least amount of money on pre-wedding celebrations with the average costing at just £104.
Cost breakdown for pre-wedding celebrations
Men spend the most amount of money on all elements of the celebrations except for their outfit where women spend an extra £10.
Outfit - average spend £20, Women spend £25 and men spend £15.
Drinks – average spend £44, Women spend £36 and men spend £52.
Food – average spend £32, women spend £30 and men spend £34.
Travel – average spend £33, women spend £30 and men spend £36.
Spending Money – average spend £38, women spend £34 and men spend £42.
Activity – average spend £20, women spend £20 and men spend £20.
Hotel – average spend £29, women spend £27 and men spend £31.
The Wedding Day Spend
After forking out for the pre-wedding celebrations then comes the big day! Guests can be expected to pay for a new outfits, a wedding gift, travel costs, accommodation and drinks so the cost can easily add up!
Nationwide uncovered wedding days are now costing £28 more than in 2015 at an average of £249 per person, however almost a quarter admitted spending over £300 on the day.
In comparison to pre-wedding celebrations, women are the big spenders on the wedding day spending £257 compared to the average of £241 for a man.
If you are aged 55 or over you can expect to be the wedding guest who spends the most at an average of £301 while if you are a younger guest 18-24, expect to pay the least at just £141.
When it comes to wedding gifts the over 55s come out on top as the guests who spend the most at £59 in comparison to 18-24 year olds who are less generous with their gifting spend at almost half the amount £29.
Cost breakdown for the wedding day
Men spend the most on wedding days when it comes to drink and meals whereas women spend on average the most on their outfit and gift.
Outfit – average spend £40, women spend £47 and men spend £33.
Gift – average spend £47, women spend £49 and men spend £45.
Drink – average spend £31, women spend £28 and men spend £34.
Travel – average spend £29, women spend £29 and men spend £29.
Taxi – average spend £14, women spend £14 and men spend £14.
Hotel – average spend £33, women spend £35 and men spend £32.
Meals – average spend £21, women spend £21 and men spend £22.
Regretting RSVPing yes to the 3 weddings you have been invited to for this year alone? Don’t panic, Nationwide have shared their top tips on how a guest can prepare for a wedding and manage their finances through the wedding season.
Phil Smith, Nationwide’s Head of Current Accounts, said: “Sharing a loved one’s special day is a wonderful experience. But buying a gift, finding something to wear, travelling to the wedding and staying overnight can add up, especially if you’re going as a couple, or to more than one wedding in a short period. There are plenty of ways to cut costs though, such as buying a wedding gift in the sales, recycling your outfit and sharing travel costs. Also, putting a small amount of money away each week can help manage the overall cost.
View Nationwide’s full list of tips and advice here.
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