Weddings are costly for guests

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Friends’ weddings can be a funeral for your own finances. According to AA/Populus research, one in ten guests spend more money attending other people’s weddings than do on their own big day.  7% said that they dipped into their savings, and 2% borrowed money so that they could celebrate a friend’s nuptials.

Something old, something new

With 32% of UK’s weddings taking place in July or August, the AA’s research underlines the high costs of being a wedding guest. Furthermore, resentment, declined invitations, sacrificing holidays and borrowing money emerge as common symptoms of the cost of attending weddings. The research found that one in five (19%) say they sometimes resent the amount it costs to attend a wedding, while one in six (15%) said the same about the cost of attending hen and stag dos.

Something borrowed, something blue

If you’re young, resentment soars. Millennials (are more likely to resent the cost of being a guest (30%) or attending a hen or stag do (34%). This is reasonable given that the relative cost for a millennial is higher. They’re more likely to have dipped into their savings (14%), sacrificed a holiday or cut back on an expenditure (22%) or borrowed money (7%).

Women were noticeably more resentful than men about being invited to a wedding due to the cost (23% versus 27%) and are also more likely to have turned down an invitation to a hen do because of the cost (17% versus 12%).