When it comes to planning a wedding, most of the focus is on how much the bride and groom will have to pony up for their big day.
But what about the people who pay just for the pleasure of wishing them well?
A new American Express survey found wedding guests and bridal parties expect to spend more than $500 on average this year –– a huge bump over 2012.
Between tux rentals, dress fittings, bachelor(ette) parties and pre-wedding showers, bridal party members will shell out $577 per person these days, compared to $377 in 2012.
As for the 69 million wedding guests expected to attend nuptials this year, they can expect to spend $539, up 59% since 2012.
The reason? Hotel and gas costs are rising, which means just getting to a wedding costs more than usual. And then there are the gifts, of course.
Guests spend about $108 on average on wedding gifts, AmEx found.
For more on the high costs of
Amex