{"id":182518,"date":"2025-05-02T12:08:48","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T18:08:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/?p=182518"},"modified":"2025-05-02T12:09:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T18:09:33","slug":"its-wedding-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/its-wedding-season","title":{"rendered":"It&#8217;s Wedding Season! Here\u2019s How to Survive It Without Going Broke"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It\u2019s the start of wedding season! Have you been to a wedding? I am going to assume the answer is \u201cyes.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I can confidently say that the<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> goal of someone having a wedding (after getting married to their person) is ensuring guests have a great time.<\/span> <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> all else aside, this is your goal as a wedding guest: to have fun and not sweat the small stuff.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Here are some fun financial facts and advice about being a guest at a wedding.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Travel<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> is the most expensive part of attending a wedding. In the U.S., <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a lot of<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> people attend college and get jobs out of their hometowns. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This<\/span> <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">normally means<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> you travel for most weddings and other events.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">According to The Knot, <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theknot.com\/content\/wedding-guest-cost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the average cost to attend a wedding in 2024 was $610<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. If it is a local wedding without the need for a hotel, I can\u2019t imagine how it would cost $610.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What I do understand is<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> how an out-of-town wedding can cost a guest who drove <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theknot.com\/content\/wedding-guest-cost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">$840 or $1,680 if you flew<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, according to The Knot\u2019s averages.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I don\u2019t know about you, but this is pretty accurate <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">for me<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">! A recent wedding to the West Coast <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">definitely<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> cost my family of four over $1,500. It <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">really<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> is an act of love to pay $840-$1,680 to see your friends or family get married. &lt;3<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Side note: No one cares if the dress or suit you wear to a wedding is new or old as a guest.&nbsp;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Gift Giving<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Gone are the days when newlyweds move in together after getting married and need help setting up a house. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So, what<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> do you get a bride and groom who <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">probably<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> already have what they need, and how much is appropriate?<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Here are some ideas:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Anything on their registry!\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">If you aren\u2019t sure what to give someone and they don\u2019t have a registry, you can\u2019t go wrong with cash. It is nice to <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">give<\/span> <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">cash<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> with <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a suggestion<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> on how to use it, like saying \u201cgo buy your coffees for the year,\u201d or \u201cdate night to the movies.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Absolutely nothing. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> might be a controversial take, but if you are traveling out of town and spending $800-$1,600 already, it is <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">totally<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> OK to give a card with well wishes and leave it at that. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Some aren\u2019t <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">in the position<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> to take on the cost of attending a wedding and <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">provide<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> a gift.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> I want to <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">give you permission<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> to go to the wedding. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> truly is about you taking the time to celebrate with your friends and family, and you should never feel bad about not giving a gift.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In polling my friends (mostly couples), we give between $115 and $200 a wedding. You really can give as much or as little as you want. I find it best to set a baseline for how much you give each wedding and then just stick to that.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Can\u2019t attend the wedding? Feel free to send a gift, though <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">not<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> necessary.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Just in<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> case you were wondering, the average gift amount in a survey done in 2024 by <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theknot.com\/content\/how-much-to-spend-on-wedding-gifts?irclickid=w1aT4USZWxyPUSG21BzY-wwRUksRhI0YU2eAQo0&amp;utm_source=impact&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_term=10078&amp;utm_campaign=Skimbit%20Ltd.&amp;utm_content=vogue.com&amp;irgwc=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Knot was $150<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Would You Decline a Wedding Based on Cost?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I think <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">it<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> is <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">completely reasonable to<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> decide<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> what is <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">important<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> for you to spend your money on.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Weddings and other life events come with social and financial pressure. It is perfectly OK <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">to <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">decide<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> to skip some events and go to others based on your current financial situation and goals. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">If you have to decline an invitation due to your financial situation, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">perhaps<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> find a way <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">in the future<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> to take the couple out to dinner and enjoy some quality time together.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Some Odd Advice<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I know <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">it can be stressful<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> navigating the etiquette, the travel, and the late nights.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> My last completely unconventional <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">piece of<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> advice is to carry a granola bar or fruit bar (nothing with poppy seeds) and shove it into the bride or groom&#8217;s mouth throughout the day. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">They forget to eat<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">and <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">they<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> don\u2019t feel hungry, but they are.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Trust me.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Hope<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> this wedding season goes well for you as a guest! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"hero-block_62df1a82bfc88\" class=\"first:mt-0 hero-block py-4    has-background has-slate-200-background-color has-text-color has-theme-gold-color\">\n    <div\n        class=\" flex flex-wrap lg:flex-nowrap max-w-screen-xl mx-auto px-4 relative lg:items-center \">\n\n        <div class=\"relative z-30 w-full \">\n            <main class=\"py-4\">\n                \n\n<p class=\"has-slate-800-color has-text-color has-large-font-size\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:800\">The Money Podcast<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"my-3 md:my-5 lg:my-8 has-slate-900-color has-text-color\" style=\"font-size:16px\">Kickstart your personal finance journey with Scott and Mindy as they break down the good, bad, and ugly of people\u2019s personal money stories. From interviews with entrepreneurs and business owners to breakdowns of listener finances, you\u2019ll get actionable advice on how to get out of debt and grow your money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=button-custom-event-block_65400b52d0a76 class='button-custom-event'>\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/link.chtbl.com\/Money\" x-on:click=\"window.analytics.track(&#039;Money Podcast Blog CTA Click&#039;, {\n      referrer: &#039;https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/its-wedding-season&#039;,\n    });\" class=\" btn-shape inline-block no-underline has-background has-theme-slate-dark-background-color has-text-color has-white-color\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Listen Now<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n\n            <\/main>\n        <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\" first:mt-0 relative h-full lg:flex lg:items-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"object-cover w-full relative z-20 my-0  shadow-xl rounded-md hidden lg:block\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/BP_Money_podcast_square-1024x1024-1-e1660861377128.jpeg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\n        <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s the start of wedding season! Have you been to a wedding? I am going to assume the answer is \u201cyes.\u201d&nbsp; I can confidently say that the goal of someone [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":613772,"featured_media":182521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7396],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-182518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-budgeting"],"acf":[],"comment_count":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/613772"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=182518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/182521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=182518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=182518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=182518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}