Keeping Up With The Bulls

A personal finance blog focused on making more money, saving money and smart spending.

Whether you're the bride, groom, bridesmaid, groomsman or wedding guest it doesn't matter - weddings are expensive! There are ways to reduce the costs associated with weddings without impacting the experience. Learn about how to save on bachelorettes, bridal showers and the wedding itself.

Invited To An Expensive Bachelorette Party? Here’s How to Save Money

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Attending an expensive bachelorette party is tough on your personal finances. The average cost of a bachelorette party per person is $537. And, if you have to fly to the to the bachelorette party Weddingwire found that 40% reported the cost of attending that bachelorette party was $1,000 or more and 1 in 10 reported spending over $4,000! So, how can you figure out how much to spend on a bachelorette party? How can you attend an expensive bachelorette party and not spend your whole vacation budget? Below are tips to save money on transportation, housing, clothing and food when attending a bachelorette party.

Average Cost of a Bachelorette Party

While the average cost of a bachelorette party per person was $527, chances are you’ll spent much more on that by attending all of the wedding festivities for your friend. If you’ve been invited to a bachelorette party, you’ve likely been invited to a bridal shower and wedding for that same friend. Instead of looking only at the average cost of a bachelorette party per person, look how much you’re spending on weddings the entire year. This includes all weddings, bridal showers, bachelorettes and engagement showers. It’s hard to know how much you can spend on one bachelorette party without first determining how much you can spend on all weddings and wedding activities this year.

How much can you afford to spend attending weddings this year? How much are you willing to spend? This includes the weddings, the bachelorette parties, the engagement parties and the bridal showers. If you’re traveling to a wedding, include all costs you’ll incur that weekend. Don’t forget to estimate the outfit costs.

Use the table below and add the number of wedding events you’ve been invited to for this year. Now, sum it up. Is this below or above how much you can afford? If it far exceeds what you’re willing to spend you’ll need to determine what you’re skipping. There are opportunities within each to spend less but the biggest savings will come from skipping something entirely.

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See Also: How to Save Money as a Wedding Guest

With this estimate, we’ll start looking at the average cost of a bachelorette party per person and how to reduce that cost.

Bachelorette Party Budget

Attending the bachelorette party will be different than attending the wedding. When you’re attending the wedding you can decide where to stay, the transportation, the meals the rest of the weekend, etc. You have more flexibility with your wedding weekend budget. When you’re attending a bachelorette often the entire schedule is set by the maid of honor or another bridesmaid. So, if you have a certain bachelorette party budget you need to say that ahead of time. If you wait until the start of the bachelorette party it could create awkward situations. Sometimes there are activities planned that you can skip. More often, you go along with whatever has been planned. So, to drive down the average cost of a bachelorette party per person it’s important to plan a weekend that matches how much everyone is willing to spend.

Who Pays For The Bachelorette Party

Every group handles who pays for the bachelorette party costs differently. Perhaps at the bachelorette party you attend you are only responsible for what you buy. How the group handles the brides expenses are different as well. Sometimes the group pays for everything for the bride, other times the bride insists on paying and other times it’s somewhere in the middle.

Since everything is a group activity at a bachelorette party costs are usually evenly divided. The only exception to splitting costs equally is the bride’s expenses. When there is a destination bachelorette the bride usually pays for her flight and lodging but then the rest of the expenses are usually paid for by the guests.

How do you split the cost of the bachelorette party easily? Apps like Splitwise come in handy because everyone can log how much they spent and it tells the rest of the group how much they owe each other at the end. However, if you have fewer drinks or you have a cheaper meal you pay the same amount.

No matter the group dynamic, it’s best to go in assuming it’ll be split evenly and you’ll be paying for the brides expenses that weekend. To get the best idea of how much the bachelorette will cost, if you’re paying for the bride and other money related questions reach out to the maid of honor.

See Also: 8 Tips to Save Money Planning a Bachelorette Party

Talk to the Maid of Honor About Any Money Concerns

If you’re worried about the cost of the bachelorette, be upfront with the maid of honor. She can bring up any cost concerns without mentioning any names to the bride.

Use Credit Card or Airline Points for the Flight

One way to reduce the cost of attending a bachelorette is to use credit card, or airline for bachelorette party travel. Could you use these airline or credit card points for another trip too? Yes. However, mentally, it will make you feel better about spending less money attending the bachelorette party.

If you have hotel points for the hotel you’re staying at it’s best to save those for another trip. The other guests expectations on whether or not they owe you for the hotel if you use your own points or how much they owe you may differ from your expectation. Often it’s easier to just save these points for another trip.

Book Your Bachelorette Party Flight Early

If you will need to fly to the bachelorette party, book your flight early! The flight is one of the largest costs for a destination bachelorette party. And, this expense is mostly in your control as you can always fly in a little earlier or later to get the better price. Use Hopper to track flight prices as soon as you get the invite and buy when tickets are low. If you wait too long, ticket prices are guaranteed to go up.

Save Money on Bachelorette Ground Transportation

The cheapest way to save money on transportation for a bachelorette party is to go somewhere that is in driving distance and carpool. But if you have a destination bachelorette look for opportunities to carpool with the other girls. If you don’t live in the same city, can you take public transportation to get to the airport or have another friend or family member drive you?

Once you get to the bachelorette destination, does anyone land around the same time as you? Can you plan your flights so you land or takeoff at similar times if the flight price doesn’t differ much? Is there public transportation available at the destination? Any way to share an Uber or Lyft or jointly rent a car will help reduce ground transportation expenses.

Know how much transportation will cost where you are going – and, does it make sense to spend a little more on housing so that you can spend less on ubers or renting a car? Understand how often you’ll use the car and do the math to determine if it’s worth renting a car.

Save Money on the Bachelorette Party Housing

If you’re attending a destination bachelorette party there are ways to save money on the housing. Likely, your housing will be picked for you but if it hasn’t been picked yet reach out to the maid of honor. Make sure the maid of honor doesn’t assume everyone will want their own bedroom or hotel room which will drive up the cost.

If you’ll be staying at an Airbnb, volunteer to share a room or sleep on a couch / air mattress to save money. Most people are reasonable and are ok paying more if they’ll have the better accommodation.

If you’ll be staying at a hotel, can you recommend hotels that are cheaper? You can also save money on the hotel cost by splitting the room with 3 other people. That way, you’ll only pay 25% of the hotel room bill.

Spend Less Money On Bachelorette Outfits

Bachelorette party outfits are one expense that is mostly entirely in your control (minus any matching t-shirts). You’re going to spend a night or nights with a bunch of other ladies – this is the perfect time to shop each others closets. Text your friends that are similar sizes and coordinate. A dress, accessory or shoes that may feel “old” to you will be brand new to one of your friends and vice versa. This way, you can wear something new that’s been borrowed from a friend for free.

Often there is one night where the bride wears a white dress and the bachelorette party wears a black dress. Add a black dress for bachelorette parties to your staple wardrobe and bring that outfit to all of the bachelorette parties you’re invited to. Save money on the black dress by buying it second hand through Poshmark.

Save Money on Food and Drinks at the Bachelorette Party

Money spent on food and drinks can add up quickly at a bachelorette party, especially if you spend most of the time out and about. If you’re concerned about costs going into the bachelorette party, ask the maid of honor what the plan is for food and drinks ahead of time. If the plan is to have one or two nice dinners out volunteer to help the maid of honor find a reasonable place to have dinner. Even a nice dinner can vary from $60 per person to $200 per person.

Eating breakfast in the hotel or at the Airbnb will also help reduce the amount you spend on food. Unless you have a planned brunch this is also the most likely meal where everyone is doing their own thing.

Lastly, to limit drinks out at dinner and the bar buy alcohol to drink at the hotel or at the Airbnb. You can buy a bottle of wine for less than a glass of wine at dinner. If the bachelorette party has decided to split all expenses evenly the best way to save money on food and drink are these options above. Ordering a cheaper entree won’t amount to much as the savings will get split by everyone.

Say No To Attending The Bachelorette Party

Attending every bachelorette party you’re invited to will cost you thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. Are you a bridesmaid? If not, consider skipping the bachelorette party. It’s not fun for you or the bride if you attend and then are stressed the entire time about spending money while there. If there is a group dinner and you want to sit it out because you’re stressed about the cost it may hurt the brides feelings.

If you still want to do something for the bride at the bachelorette party and can’t afford to attend ask a friend to buy a bottle of wine or champagne on your behalf and reimburse your friend. It’ll show the bride you are thinking about them and you don’t have to worry about spending too much money.

It is much easier to say no to a bachelorette party upfront than to be that person backing out of a bachelorette party later on. Once you’ve said yes to attending, the maid of honor has factored you in to the shared expenses such as the housing. They’ve found accommodations that fit a certain amount of people. If they knew you weren’t going to come, they could have found a cheaper housing alternative. If you have to back out of a bachelorette party, it’s best to pay for your share of what has already been booked that can’t be refunded.

What are ways you’ve attended an expensive bachelorette party and saved money?

How To Plan A Bachelorette Party Without Breaking The Bank

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There’s a lot that goes into planning a bachelorette party and a lot that goes into managing the opinions of the bride, the bridesmaids and any friends invited. Everyone wants the ultimate bachelorette party but few want to pay that much for the experience. Whether you want to plan a budget bachelorette or save money on the ultimate bachelorette there are plenty of ways to save money planning a bachelorette without breaking the bank.

How much should you spend on a bachelorette party?

There is no set amount for how much you should spend on a bachelorette party. It depends on what the bride wants and what the bridemaids and attendees are willing to spend. The average amount spent at a bachelorette party is $537 per person but according to the Weddingwire 40% who flew to a destination bachelorette party reported spending $1,000 or more and 1 in 10 reported spending over $4,000!

The cost of bachelorettes vary widely, which is why it’s so important to set an estimated budget for each person before anything is booked. Some friends may not be able to afford attending a destination bachelorette so if the people are the most important part of the bachelorette to the bride look to do something local.

There is no set amount for how much money to spend throwing a bachelorette party. But, there is guidance on how to set the right budget for the bachelorette you’re throwing. First, understand who is paying for what on the bachelorette. And, understand what people are willing to spend. It’s best to ask each bridesmaid and bride individually so that no one is embarrassed if they cannot afford a lot. Even if a destination location is decided there are plenty of ways to travel hack your way to cheaper hotels, transportation and flights.

See Also: 5 Ways to Save Money on Travel

Who Pays for the Bachelorette Party?

Who pays for the bachelorette party also varies by groups of friends. In some cases the bridesmaids split it evenly. In other cases the maid of honor pays for more. Sometimes, the bridesmaids pay for part and then charge each guest a certain amount. Usually, everyone who attends pays for their travel to the event and their housing if it’s an overnight bachelorette. The bridesmaids tend to pay more and pay for decorations and food and drink around the house.

If it’s a destination bachelorette party, the bride often pays for her flight. Sometimes the bridesmaids pay for her housing, other times the bride will pay for their housing. Often, the bridesmaids and other attendees pay for the brides food, drinks and any entertainment.

Splitting the Cost of the Bachelorette Party

As bridesmaids buy items for the bachelorette track expenses in excel or Splitwise. This will help split the cost of the bachelorette and keep track of who owes who money. Then, to collect payment for the bachelorette party each person can transfer the money on Venmo or another payment app. To best identify who should pay for what at the bachelorette you’re throwing ask these questions:

Additional Guests Invited To the Bachelorette Party

If the bride has decided to invite people that aren’t bridesmaids it’s fine to expect that they will help pay for their part of the bachelorette. The bridesmaids should cover more of the bachelorette (for example decorations, perhaps group food and drinks) but they should not be expected to pay for the guests dinner, bar drinks and hotel / transportation.

Will it be a destination bachelorette party or local?

Often, when the bachelorette is local the bride won’t pay for anything. When the bachelorette is a destination the bride will usually pay for her flight and hotel. At destination bachelorette parties it varies what the bride pays for at the actual location. Sometimes the guests insist on paying for everything. Other times the bride will pay for some of the activities. It really depends on the dynamics of the group.

At the end of the day, there is no right or wrong answer as to who pays for what. The most important thing is to set the expectations up front as to who will pay for what before anything is booked so that there are no surprises. You don’t want to arrive at the bachelorette party and have the bride upset she has to pay for things or the guests upset they have to pay for a bunch of activities and everything for the bride.

See Also: How to Plan a Bridal Shower on a Budget

Start Planning The Bachelorette Party Early

One way to save money on a bachelorette party is to start the planning early. You’ll be able to get better deals on airfare and the hotel / Airbnb. You’ll also get better deals on any decorations you buy and activities you decide to do as you’ll have the runway to shop around for better deals.

There will be more selection on hotels and Airbnb if you’re staying overnight. Especially if you need a large house, there is only so much inventory that will accommodate a large bachelorette party. Work with the bride to understand when and how she wants to reach out – if she would like you to reach out or if she would like to reach out. Sometimes the early planning may happen before the guests even receive save the dates! So, it’s important to coordinate with the bride.

There are two main answers you need early on in the planning process: who the bride wants to attend, and what location the bride wants.

Who Does The Bride Want to Attend the Bachelorette Party?

If the bride wants to have only the bridesmaids attend the bachelorette party most locations can be discussed. But, if the bride wants to invite a ton of people the location should be local. The attendee list will really gear the conversations around location and price. If it’s just the bridesmaids, they have all agreed to stand by the bride on her special day and accepted knowing that they will pay money for all of these events. Friends that aren’t bridemaids will be reluctant to spend a ton of money on the bachelorette and cost will be a high factor in their decision as to whether or not they will attend. The cheaper and more convenient the bachelorette is, the more people that will be interested in attending.

Throwing a bachelorette party within driving distance will maximize the amount of people that will be able to come. On the opposite side, if the bachelorette requires a flight people are less likely to say yes to attending.

Having more people attend a bachelorette party doesn’t necessarily mean the price per person will get cheaper. It’s great to have more people to split costs with. However, if it’s a large group you’ll find only certain restaurants will be able to accommodate your group size and that restaurant may not be the cheapest. If it’s a destination bachelorette party, you’ll have to get more hotel rooms or a larger house.

Does the Bride Want A Destination Bachelorette Party or Local?

The bachelorette location is the biggest driver of cost. The cheapest location for a bachelorette is whatever location is local. You don’t have to spend money on a hotel or transportation and it will likely be only one night. Limiting the number of days for the bachelorette will always help save money. On the flip side, the most expensive bachelorette is a destination bachelorette. Destination bachelorettes are usually at least two nights, if not longer, and require spending money on a flight and lodging as well as money on food and activities.

Save Money on Bachelorette Party Housing

As the person planning the bachelorette, housing is the biggest opportunity you have drive costs down for the rest of the group, second to the location. You’ll be the person deciding where everyone is staying for the bachelorette.

Consider a few things: will an Airbnb or hotel be cheaper? What area is best to stay in? Don’t forget to ask all attendees if they have a connection to save money here. If someone works at a hotel chain for example they may get an employee or a friends and family discount as part of their employee perks. And, sometimes the cheaper housing option mean spending more on transportation to and from bars and restaurants so that is something to factor in.

If you know there are a few people that may be struggling to afford the bachelorette but really want to come there are a few ways for you to help them save more money on the lodging. It’ll be much more expensive if everyone wants their own room or own bed. If anyone wants that, ask them to pay more. Those that are OK sharing a bed and/or sharing a bedroom or sleeping on a couch can pay less. Splitting a hotel room four ways will be much cheaper than each person getting their own hotel room. The same is true for splitting bedrooms and having people sleep on an air mattress or couch in an AirBnB. Most people are reasonable and are ok paying more if they’ll have the better accommodation.

Save Money On Bachelorette Party Transportation

The cheapest way to save money on transportation at a bachelorette party is to go somewhere that is in driving distance and carpool. But if you have a destination bachelorette look for opportunities to carpool with the other girls. If you don’t live in the same city, can you take public transportation to get to the airport or have another friend or family member drive you?

Once you get to the bachelorette destination, does anyone land around the same time as you? As the person planning the bachelorette, it’s always helpful to collect all the flight information as people book their flights so the rest of the ladies can coordinate. Also, identify if there are public transportation options available at the destination. Any way to share an Uber or Lyft or jointly rent a car will help reduce ground transportation expenses.

Know how much transportation will cost where you are going – and, does it make sense to spend a little more on housing so that you can spend less on ubers or renting a car? Understand how often you’ll use the car and do the math to determine if it’s worth renting a car.

See Also: How to Save Money as a Wedding Guest

Save Money on Bachelorette Party Food

There are a few ways to decrease the food costs at a bachelorette. The biggest ways to save money is to limit the alcohol consumption and not go out to eat. Alcohol is expensive and it adds up quickly on a bachelorette. If you don’t want to sacrifice alcohol or quality, better plan how much you’ll need. It’s easy to overbuy and then have leftover alcohol you can’t bring back with you.

If you’re going away for a weekend, buy coffee and stuff for breakfast so you don’t have to go out for every meal. You can also buy groceries to make other meals at the place if you get an Airbnb.

Lastly, plan ahead where you’ll eat. Decide to have one “fancy” meal, and even then find a restaurant that will meet your price point.

Bachelorette Party Decorations That are Fun and Affordable

If you’re staying local, bachelorette decorations will make the night feel more special. If you’re going away for the bachelorette, decorations aren’t needed to make the weekend feel special. Plus, you’ve spent more money on getting to the bachelorette so it’s ok to go easy on the decor. The bachelorette is always more about the time spent with each other. If you do buy bachelorette decorations there are ways to save money.

Create One Decoration That’s Great for Photographs

Instead of trying to make the entire bachelorette location Instagram worthy, is there one decoration you can do really well for pictures? Perhaps it’s the table display during the pregame or a DIY photo backdrop. You can also look at images of selfie frame cutouts and DIY instead of spending ~$40 ordering one online.

Buy Bachelorette Decorations Well In Advance

If you’re buying decorations for the bachelorette with less than a week to go your options will be limited. You’ll have less time to shop around for the best price. More importantly, you’ll need to either shop local or shop somewhere where the decorations will get to you in time. You may even have to pay for rush shipping to get everything in time.

Matching Shirts / Accessories For The Bride and Guests

Many times you’ll see bachelorettes where everyone has a matching shirt and the bride has a bride shirt. For the party shirts you’ll wear once will cost anywhere from $12-$30 each. You can drive down these costs by buying a generic bachelorette shirt on Etsy. If you want a custom design you’ll have to pay for the design fee plus the shirts.

Alternatively, you can get matching cozies, matching hats or matching sunglasses. You can find many bride and bridesmaid sunglasses for sale for $6 each on Etsy, which is cheaper than a t-shirt. You can also make DIY flower crowns and spent even less!

For the bride, a bride sash to wear out and a bride t-shirt are more than enough. Let the group know what you are buying for the bride though otherwise someone else may bring the same thing not knowing this was already purchased.

Who pays for bachelorette party shirts? That depends. It’s perfectly reasonable to ask each person (besides the bride!) to pay for their bachelorette party shirt. Sometimes the maid of honor or the bridesmaids will buy all of the bachelorette party shirts as a gift for everyone but this is not expected.

Affordable Bachelorette Activity Ideas

Another way to save money on the bachelorette you’re planning is to plan affordable activities. Share these with the group prior to booking so you can make sure everyone is willing to spend money on this. Separately, ask the bride if she wants everyone to do the activities or if she’s ok if some people don’t participate. The more people attending the harder it is to please everyone.

Bachelorette Activities

If you are planning a destination bachelorette usually a few activities are planned in advance. The activities available will depend on the location. Wherever you are going, google free activities in “x” location. If you have a pool where you’re staying that will always be cheaper than paying to go to another pool or renting a boat.

When you find a paid activity you’d like to do, call the company and try to negotiate. Sometimes you can get discounted rates with enough people. Also, check Groupon and other deal sites. There may be deals going on that you can take advantage of.

If you want to do a bar crawl, plan the bar crawl yourself instead of going through a company. Pick a spot with a bunch of bars in the same area so you can walk to each. Don’t be afraid to negotiate with the bars either! Call ahead and see if they’re willing to do any drink specials or if they have any specials to be aware of.

Free Bachelorette Games

If you’re on a budget skip buying bachelorette games. Often these seem like a good idea but they only last for a few minutes during the bachelorette anyways. Plus there are plenty of printable bachelorette party games online, for free!! Check out these 25 bachelorette party games that are free, including 16 free printout games from The Spruce.

Bachelorette Party Slide Show For The Bride

Create a slide show of the couple or bride and show it during the bachelorette. It takes some time, but it’s free and a wonderful gift for the bride. Watching the bachelorette party slide show while getting ready for the night is also a great activity and sure to be appreciated by the bride and everyone there!

Ask Friends Who Have Been To The Location Before For Saving Money Tips

Are you planning a destination bachelorette party? It’s always easier to plan a bachelorette on a budget when someone you know has been to that location before. They’ll know what’s worth the money and what is worth skipping. They’ll have good food suggestions, know the best places to stay, if you should rent a car, etc. Don’t have a friend that’s been to that destination before? Check Trip Advisor and Google for more tips about the destination. There is a lot of information available online, sometimes you just have to spend a little time searching for it!

What are ways you’ve saved money when planning a bachelorette party on a budget?

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Saving Money as a Wedding Guest: Tips and Tricks for Sticking to Your Budget

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The costs of being a wedding guest really add up between the wedding, the bridal shower, the bachelorette party and the engagement party. Especially the years you attend multiple weddings, saving money as a wedding guest is key as you could be spending thousands of dollars. Saving money as a wedding guest is critical if you want to be there for your friend’s special day. While it’s exciting when your friend gets engaged, we all know that excitement starts to wear when you see your credit card bill and those wedding checks cashed during wedding season. So, how can you attend weddings, and also have money to pay your own bills? In order to save money as a wedding guest you need to create a budget for how much you’ll spend attending weddings and stick to it. Here are ways to save money as a wedding guest.

Create A Budget For Wedding Season

In order to save money as a wedding guest, you need to know your limit on how much you will spend attending weddings each year. How much are you willing to spend to attend each wedding? How much are you willing to spend attending weddings this year? This includes the weddings, the bachelor or bachelorette parties, the engagement parties and the bridal showers. If you’re traveling to a wedding, include all costs you’ll incur that weekend. Don’t forget to estimate the outfit costs.

Next, create a good estimate of how much you’ll spend on weddings for the year based on the weddings you’ve been invited to. Add a bit of a buffer in case there are engagements and/or weddings you get invited to later on in the year. The table below is a good way to develop that first estimate.

How to save money as a wedding guest budget for engagement gift, wedding guest hotel, wedding guest flight and wedding gift

Sticker shock? Same. Below are a few ideas to attend weddings without going broke.

As much as your friends want you to be a part of their big day(s), if they’re really your friend they don’t want you to end up broke because you attended their wedding. It’s important to remember it’s a lose lose lose situation for your friend, yourself, and your wallet if you do this.

Save Money By Skipping The Bridal Shower

Are you a bridesmaid? If not, save money attending weddings by skipping the bridal shower. Do this especially if attending a bridal shower involves a flight. Send a gift from the registry or chip in with a group of friends for a larger gift. If you do attend, check out additional ways to save money attending a bridal shower.

Save Money By Skipping The Bachelorette

Attending every bachelorette (or bachelor party) you’re invited to will cost you thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. Are you a bridesmaid or groomsman? If not, consider skipping the bachelorette or bachelor party. It’s not fun for you or the bride / groom if you attend and then are stressed the entire time about spending money while there. If you still want to do something for the bride / groom at the bachelorette / bachelor party and can’t afford to attend ask a friend to buy a bottle of wine or champagne on your behalf and reimburse your friend. It’ll show the bride / groom you are thinking about them and you don’t have to worry about spending too much money.

If you do decide to attend the bachelorette party, there are plenty of ways to save money attending a bachelorette party. Splitting a hotel room, carpooling or sharing an Uber and limiting the nights you participate in the bachelorette party are a few ways to save money when attending a bachelorette party.

Save Money Attending The Wedding

Use Credit Card, Hotel, Airline and Car Rental Points

One way to reduce the cost of attending weddings is to use credit card, hotel, airline and car rental points for wedding travel. Mentally, it will make you feel better about spending less money on attending weddings. However, you always had the option of using these points for other travel so you should be careful about justifying using points as a way to save money.

Save Money On Wedding Flights

If you will need to fly to the wedding, book your flight early! Use Hopper to track flight prices as soon as you get the invite and buy when tickets are low. If you wait too long, ticket prices are guaranteed to go up.

Do you travel for work? Is your work travel unpredictable? If work travel doesn’t allow for early booking of flights look for opportunities to align a work trip to a wedding. Sometimes, you’ll be able to have one or both legs of a flight paid for with this approach.

Save Money On The Wedding Lodging

Stay with Family or Friends

The cheapest lodging option is to stay with family or friends. Even if it’s a bit of a drive, it can be cheaper to be a little farther and Uber instead of paying for a hotel. If your friends / family are attending the same wedding offer to pay for the transportation to / from the wedding or pay for a meal.

Share a Hotel Room

The hotel is one of the most expensive parts of the wedding. If you need to save money when attending a wedding, splitting the hotel with friends will make a huge difference. This is especially true if you just graduated college. You just spent 4 years sleeping 2 feet from a roommate, sharing a hotel will feel like a dorm. As you age this will become a less attractive option so save money by splitting a hotel room here while you’re young.

Wedding Guest Outfit

Your Wedding Guest Dress

Let’s be real, with social media there are only so many times you want to wear the same dress. Don’t spend $200-400 on a dress and justify it you’ll wear it all the time. You’ll probably wear it 2-3 times max.

If you and your friends are similar sizes, the best way to save money on your wedding guest outfit is to borrow it. This way, you each can rotate your outfits and only have to buy one dress. The second cheapest option is to buy a dress second hand and sell it after you know you’re not going to wear it any longer. You can also rent a dress on Rent The Runway but sometimes this ends up being more expensive than the two options above. If you are going to buy a dress, plan ahead so you can get it on sale.

If you buy a wedding guest dress (second hand or new) and you’re not going to wear it again, sell it so it lessens the net cost.

Wedding Guest Accessories

Buy the essential accessories ahead of time when you find a good sale. You’ll always have something that goes with the dress and can take advantage of sales.

  • Shoes: open toe / heeled sandals in nude, black, gold and silver. The shoes I bought are no longer sold, but the newer version of BP shoes are, and are only $60!
  • Purse / clutch: nude, black, gold, silver. I found the best deals at the Kate Spade Outlet Store when they were having a sale and got a sparkly clutch for $50.
  • Jewelry: invest in nice pieces that will go with anything such as diamond studs or get a few pieces of classic costume jewelry.

Save Money By Not Bringing A Plus One To The Wedding

If you have a significant other it is nice to attend weddings together. But, this also increases the cost. At minimum, you have to give a gift for two people instead of just yourself. This will save you $50- $150 depending on how much you gift the bride and groom. If you have to fly, this easily adds another couple hundred dollars there as well.

Save Money On The Wedding Gift

How much should you spend on a wedding gift? Give what you can afford, but spend at least $50 per person. The Knot outlines proper wedding gift etiquette here. In the wedding budget above, I used $150 which is the high end etiquette for a close friend and low estimate for an urbanite. You can also buy your wedding gift on the registry early as sometimes the cheaper gifts are taken earlier, or buy it when the gift is on sale to make your gift go further.

Skip The Wedding All Together

As mentioned in the beginning, being a wedding guest is expensive. If you can’t afford to attend a wedding don’t go. Saving money as a wedding guest sometimes entails saying no. Weddings are expensive for the bride and groom too, so if you feel bad remember how much it costs the bride and groom per plate. Attending weddings are not worth going into debt for. Studies also show that 40% of Americans can’t cover a $400 emergency expense. Don’t be that person that can’t cover a $400 emergency expense because you spent too much money attending weddings. Saving money as a wedding guest isn’t always easy, true friends will understand if you’re unable to make the wedding due to cost.

What other ways have you been successful saving money as a wedding guest?