The Top three months for weddings are in order (According to The Knot) 1. September, 2. June, 3. October. We are now in the middle of two of the top 3 - so this must be wedding season!
Weddings are expensive and that goes for the guests,too, especially members of the wedding party. Top Cashback.com says people are just plain generous to the prospective the bride and groom. Rebecca Gramuglia, Personal Finance and Shopping Expert at the company says that people feel hopeful at weddings and they truly wish the best for the bride and groom [besides court statistics say around half of American marriages fail]. In fact, their survey shows 28% of Americans don't go to weddings because they simply can't afford it! Gramuglia says "We were surprised that over half of our respondents felt pressured in spending money that they didn't have to spend! Almost a quarter say they have gone into debt to attend a wedding." (See their findings below.)
Gramaulgia has some good tips for how you, a wedding guest, can save money attending your next wedding. "Comparison shop! Just because a wedding registry is listed at one store doesn't mean you can't look for the same item at other stores or online. The same is true for airplane tickets and rental car fees. And you can save money with coupons and using a site like ours, Top Cashback.com"
Another of her tips is to join forces with other people who are attending. From carpooling to buying one nice big gift and splitting the bill. "That way the Happy Couple gets a great item they will love and use and you're not left with a credit card bill you can't afford."
Results from a recent Top Cashback .com survey
The Cost of Being a Wedding Guest
- Average spent on wedding gifts:
- $51 to $100 (40 percent)
- $0 to $50 (34 percent)
- $101 to $500 (23 percent)
- Average spent to attend a wedding:
- $0 to $50 (39 percent)
- $101 to $500 (26 percent)
- $51 to $100 (22 percent)
- Average spent on bachelor/bachelorette party necessities:
- $101 to $500 (41 percent)
- $51 to $100 (22 percent)
- $0 to $50 (19 percent)
- Average spent on travel:
- $101 to $500 (31 percent)
- $0 to $50 (26 percent)
- $51 to $100 (18 percent)
The survey polled a cross-section of 2,482 adults, aged 18 and over, on their wedding guest habits.