Wedding Season Sets the Average Brit Back by £800 Each Year
'Wedding season' sets the average adult back almost £800, a study found.
Research revealed the typical adult will attend three ceremonies this year, spending a total of £266 each time on accommodation, gifts, drinks and travel. Grandparents will end up with the largest bill, around £430, while the best man will end up with a £313 dent in his bank balance.
The study also found four in ten have gone over budget at a wedding. However, the value of seeing loved ones walk down the aisle far outweighs the cost for many, with two thirds saying they feel it's a real honour to be asked to attend a wedding.
Paul Stokes of M&S Bank, who commissioned the study of 2,000 adults, said: "We know the privilege of attending a wedding far outweighs the cost for many of us, but with wedding season totalling nearly £800 on average, we wanted to look at the costs and see where guests could make some savings."
Buying gifts was one of the most expensive elements of attending a wedding, costing guests an average of £79 a time, with people most likely to spend more on their best friends than siblings. However, the average minimum people expect to spend on a wedding gift is less than you might think, coming in at £25.52, meaning you perhaps don't need to spend quite as much as you might have thought.
A quarter of Brits said they think it's rude when a couple asks for money instead of a wedding gift. And in fact one in five having attended a marriage ceremony and leaving nothing at all.
Guests will spend nearly £80 each on a new dress or suit and nearly £40 on shoes. Proud mothers of the happy couple will spend £307 on a new outfit, including more than £100 on a new dress, £51 on shoes, £30 on jewellery and £59 on hats and fascinators, as well as other accessories.
Friday weddings are now three times as popular as they were a decade ago, which can save guests money on accommodation, compared to weekend weddings. Cash-savvy bride and grooms have saved thousands by avoiding the weekend for their nuptials; wedding ceremony costs have been nearly halved by thrifty couples from £20,000 in 2007 to £11,400 today.
Paul Stokes added: "Despite the cost, being part of a loved one's special day is hugely important to most of us, so we wanted to show how guests can make the experience a little more affordable. A new outfit is one of the biggest considerations for any wedding guest when making plans to see their nearest and dearest on the happiest day of their lives."
New M&S Current Account customers who switch using the Current Account Switch Service will receive a £125 M&S gift card, which can be used to cover the average cost of a wedding outfit, or a gift.
Do you have many weddings to attend this year? Let us know on Twitter @theladymagazine
Research revealed the typical adult will attend three ceremonies this year, spending a total of £266 each time on accommodation, gifts, drinks and travel. Grandparents will end up with the largest bill, around £430, while the best man will end up with a £313 dent in his bank balance.
The study also found four in ten have gone over budget at a wedding. However, the value of seeing loved ones walk down the aisle far outweighs the cost for many, with two thirds saying they feel it's a real honour to be asked to attend a wedding.
Paul Stokes of M&S Bank, who commissioned the study of 2,000 adults, said: "We know the privilege of attending a wedding far outweighs the cost for many of us, but with wedding season totalling nearly £800 on average, we wanted to look at the costs and see where guests could make some savings."
Buying gifts was one of the most expensive elements of attending a wedding, costing guests an average of £79 a time, with people most likely to spend more on their best friends than siblings. However, the average minimum people expect to spend on a wedding gift is less than you might think, coming in at £25.52, meaning you perhaps don't need to spend quite as much as you might have thought.
A quarter of Brits said they think it's rude when a couple asks for money instead of a wedding gift. And in fact one in five having attended a marriage ceremony and leaving nothing at all.
Guests will spend nearly £80 each on a new dress or suit and nearly £40 on shoes. Proud mothers of the happy couple will spend £307 on a new outfit, including more than £100 on a new dress, £51 on shoes, £30 on jewellery and £59 on hats and fascinators, as well as other accessories.
Friday weddings are now three times as popular as they were a decade ago, which can save guests money on accommodation, compared to weekend weddings. Cash-savvy bride and grooms have saved thousands by avoiding the weekend for their nuptials; wedding ceremony costs have been nearly halved by thrifty couples from £20,000 in 2007 to £11,400 today.
Paul Stokes added: "Despite the cost, being part of a loved one's special day is hugely important to most of us, so we wanted to show how guests can make the experience a little more affordable. A new outfit is one of the biggest considerations for any wedding guest when making plans to see their nearest and dearest on the happiest day of their lives."
New M&S Current Account customers who switch using the Current Account Switch Service will receive a £125 M&S gift card, which can be used to cover the average cost of a wedding outfit, or a gift.
Do you have many weddings to attend this year? Let us know on Twitter @theladymagazine