Wedding guests estimate they’ll fork out more than £700 to attend the special day of friends and loved ones.
The survey of 1,000 people, who are planning to attend a wedding in the next year, found they'll spend an average of £102.70 on accommodation, £97.90 on gifts, and £96.10 on outfits.
They’ll also splash out £88.40 for travel, £84.90 on a hen or stag do, £80.40 on alcohol, £78 on food – and an additional £72.10 on hair and make-up.
It takes the total to an eye-watering £700.50 – for just a single wedding.
And with the average person planning on attending three weddings over the next 12 months, this means their costs could spike to thousands of pounds.
Justine Gonsalves, senior category manager at Amazon Handmade, which commissioned the research to highlight its wedding store, said: “With our research finding the average wedding guest plans on spending more than £700 for a single wedding this year, it’s understandable there will be worry about the potential expense – especially during the current cost of living crisis.”
The study also found over half (54 per cent) felt pressured to spend more money than they would like when attending a wedding – with one of the main expenses being a wedding present.
It could explain why 51 per cent plan on wearing the same outfit if they were attending multiple weddings – while going to more than one wedding within a year would also lead to 53 per cent spending less on gifts.
The most popular gifts include cash (29 per cent), personalised gifts (22 per cent), white goods such as a freezer or washing machine (19 per cent), or paying for part of the honeymoon (18 per cent).
But despite nearly a third going for the easy option of giving cash to the newlyweds, personalised gifts are also appreciated.
Half of those polled, via OnePoll, think it shows they care more than simply buying a generic gift.
While 47 per cent believe it shows the couple that they like personalised gifts – so they might receive something bespoke back in the future.
It also emerged 62 per cent wished weddings were cheaper, and two-thirds admitted they were concerned about the impact weddings could have on their finances.
And 45 per cent believed weddings have become more expensive since the start of the coronavirus pandemic – but there was a determination not to let that hold them back, as 36 per cent said they are more excited to attend now restrictions had been removed.
Xavier Flamand, vice president of Amazon Handmade EU, said: “We always pride ourselves in being a champion for small businesses and makers.
“With many people across the country planning to attend a number of weddings throughout the season – especially after the delays and backlog of the pandemic – people want to enjoy the big day.
“As our research shows, personalised gifts are a unique way to show your love, and finding one at the right price is all-important for almost two-thirds of respondents.”
TOTAL COST OF ATTENDING A WEDDING:
- Accommodation – £102.70
- Wedding gift – £97.90
- Wedding outfit – £96.10
- Cost of travel – £88.40
- Hen/stag do – £84.90
- Alcohol – £80.40
- Food – £78
- Hair and make-up – £72.10
- TOTAL – £700.50
