Celebrating
a new marriage together with your friends is great fun, but all those wedding
invites can put a real strain on your budget. Between wedding attire, travel
costs and gifts, each wedding can add up to a pretty penny. In fact, according
to the most recent research by Express Spending & Saving Tracker, the
average wedding guest is out $673 for each wedding they attend. That's enough
to make you go broke by the time wedding season is through!
If
these numbers are scaring you, take a deep breath and relax. You don't need to
go into debt just to attend your friends' weddings. Just follow these hacks for
simple ways to celebrate in style-and within budget.
1.)
Save on airfare
Get
the best deal on your flight with these hacks:
- Clear your browser cache before searching for a flight
so airlines don't target you with high-priced flights.
- Get the lowest prices by booking your ticket for
mid-week and/or taking a red-eye flight.
- Shop on a Tuesday about six weeks before you're needing
to fly out to score the best deals.
- Use apps like Kayak, Hipmunk and Hopper to help you
find the best-priced tickets. Some apps will even send you alerts when
tickets on a flight you've looked at go down in price.
If your destination is within
driving distance, you can also choose to hop on a train, board a bus or rent a
car with some friends and turn the drive into a fun road trip.
2.) Think outside the
registry
Jump off the registry bandwagon
and get creative instead! You can gift the couple with a more personalized
gift, like a themed breakfast basket for the morning after, tickets and
reservations for a dream date night or a customized kitchen package complete
with quirky mugs and whimsical gadgets. No one has to know how much (or how
little) you spent. But, your gift is sure to be memorable and treasured by the
couple.
If you're part of a bunch of
friends who are attending the wedding together, you can also choose to purchase
a group gift. Do some detective work to find out the couple's secret luxury
gift wish, like a top-of-the-line grill or a leather sectional sofa, and then
let each friend contribute to a pot until you have the full amount. You'll save
on your gift costs and you'll know you've given your friends a wedding present
they'll be thrilled to receive.
3.) Don't buy a gown
Don't feel pressured to spend hundreds
of dollars on the dress you'll wear to your friends' weddings. Chances are, you
won't want to wear the same gown twice in a season. Also, the dress that
perfectly matches one wedding color can horribly clash with the décor at next
weekend's wedding. Instead of dropping a ton of money on a dress you might wear
once, rent a gown for a fraction of the price from rental services like Rent
the Runway. You can also borrow from a friend or purchase a gently used gown on
sites like OnceWed.com or PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com.
4.) Invest in a good suit
Tux rentals can run you up to
$150, so if you're looking at several weekends of weddings over the next few
months, it might be worthwhile to invest in a staple suit or tux you can wear
again and again. Make sure the suit is of decent quality and will make it
through hours on the dance floor with its seams and buttons intact. Once you've
got your suit in the closet, you can change up the outfit to match different
wedding colors and themes by swapping the shirt and tie or the cummerbund and
bowtie.
5.) Use AirBNB instead of
booking a hotel
You don't have to spend hundreds
of dollars on a hotel stay for every destination wedding you attend. Instead,
check out AirBNB for affordable lodgings in the area. You can save even more by
booking a full apartment or an entire house with a couple of friends and
splitting the cost.
6.) Don't be afraid to say
no
Members of the wedding party
inevitably end up outspending everyone else thanks to the wedding attire, shoes
and the pre-wedding parties they're required to attend. Most of these costs are
dictated by the bride and groom. If you're asked to be a bridesmaid or an usher
and you know you can't afford the associated costs, don't be afraid to explain
your position to your soon-to-be-married friends. They'll likely understand,
and either accept your declination or make some adjustment to their plans so
you can be part of the wedding party.
Here's to a season of affordable
and joyous wedding celebrations from all of us here at [credit union]!
Your Turn: How do you save money on wedding expenses? Share your best
ideas with us!
