If the price of attending weddings of your friends and family this summer seems like it will break your bank account, try these five ways to cut the cost of being a wedding guest.
Book your stay ahead of time
Take advantage of better hotel rates for early bookers or try to snap up a stay from more affordable options with websites such as Airbnb. Could you find a self-catering place to split with friends that might cost less than you each shelling out for a hotel room?
Travel smart
Sign up for alerts from train, bus or coach ticket suppliers in order to snap up the best price tickets available. Or talk to friends about car sharing to reduce fuel costs.
Rewear your favourite dress
When you’re looking for wedding guest dresses it can seem as though you’ll never get good value for money. Even if you do find a dress you love it doesn’t make sense to wear it to just one wedding. But when you find the right wedding guest dress it makes sense to wear it again and again to more than just that one wedding or special event, with many wedding guest dresses such as those from AX Paris being perfect to accessorise and style in different ways for different occasions. Try styling a floral pattern with a bag and shoes in different colours and you’ll be impressed at how fresh it can look.
Spend what you can afford on gifts
According to The Money Pages, guests spend on average £66 on a gift for the bride and groom, but don’t feel pressured to spend more than you can afford on a gift. Could you give them an IOU for cooking a special meal or helping them move into their new house or looking after the kids for a Saturday night after they’re back to real life? A thoughtful gift is always better than something expensive.
Drink up
Don’t spend more than you can afford after the free drinks come to an end and you’re starting to feel a bit relaxed with your purse strings. Take out cash to cover what you want to spend on drinks and leave your bank cards at the hotel so you’re not tempted to pay for another round.
