Being a bridesmaid at an American wedding costs more than a long weekend at a luxury Miami Beach hotel or a springtime flight to Paris, according to a new survey.
The average bridesmaid spends $1,324 on a wedding, according to a study by Weddington Way, a collaborative wedding shopping site.
The site surveyed more than 660 bridesmaids about wedding expenses, finding that the average money spent was highest in the north-east, $1,466, and lowest in the midwest, $1,178.
That is more than it costs to spend a long weekend at Miami Beach’s Fontainebleau hotel or to fly to Tokyo next week.
The survey respondents said they spent an average of $165 on the dress, $89 on hair and makeup, $71 on shoes and $56 on accessories for a total cost of $381 on clothes and prep alone.
Then there was the bachelorette party and bridal shower, $501, and the actual wedding costs, including travel, lodging and gift at $442.
The bulk of respondent’s funds were used to pay for the pre-wedding celebrations, like the bridal shower and bachelorette party, which was $501, on average.
So, according to the site’s data, a woman who serves as a bridesmaid five times will have spent $6,620 on other people’s weddings.
But the high cost is not a shock to any woman who has been a bridesmaid in recent years.
Carey Purcell wrote for Alternet about “how being a bridesmaid is driving me to the brink of bankruptcy”, noting the additional financial burden from taking off work for wedding preparation and related celebrations.
And a Google search beginning with “do bridesmaids” suggests auto complete answers that are only finance-related: “do bridesmaids pay for bridal shower”, “do bridesmaids pay for their dress”, “do bridesmaids pay for their own hair”, “do bridesmaids give shower gifts”.
Weddington Way advises potential bridesmaids to use its planning feature to budget their expenses, though the least expensive bridesmaid’s dress on the site is on sale for $69, and the most expensive dresses are $480.
“What’s the line between stretching yourself a little to be a supportive friend, versus overextending,” the website asks. “Odds are, if you’re debating that question, perhaps you should give a little more thought before you say ‘I do’ to your crew.”
