Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
I became something of a serial wedding guest this summer.
While I have nothing on Jane from "27 Dresses," did I attend six weddings between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
I'm honored to have been included in my friends' milestones. I witnessed a beautiful variety of ceremonies and even played an official role in a wedding ritual for the first time.
Wedding guest expenses have a way of adding up, especially if you're in the wedding party and are paying for bridal showers, bachelor parties, and a coordinating outfit on top of everything else. A NerdWallet study found that 41% of millennials have skipped or considered skipping a wedding because they couldn't afford to attend.
Thankfully, I was able to be at every wedding I was invited to. But I was a little bit afraid to tally up how much I actually spent by September.
In the name of tackling taboos that often surround discussing one's finances, here's a full breakdown of my summer of six weddings.
I deliberated the etiquette of breaking down exactly how much I spent on every gift for this story. On the one hand, it's pretty much the journalistic equivalent of leaving the price tag on. On the other hand, the couples registered for the items themselves so they already know how much everything cost.
In the end, I've decided to share it all. Here's how this summer's wedding gifts added up:
Mixing bowl from Bed Bath and Beyond: $30.47.
Warming tray from Amazon: $64. Split two ways, I paid $32.
Honeymoon fund donation on MyRegistry: $72 plus fees. Split two ways, I paid $37.96.
Throw pillows from Bed Bath and Beyond: $25.
Spice Rack from Bed Bath and Beyond: $54.43. Split two ways, I paid $27.
Toaster oven from Zola: $80. Split two ways, I paid $40.
Total gift expenses: $192.43.
Transportation added up to $194.48.
Most of the events I attended were in the tri-state area, but some required travel and accommodations.
One of the weddings was accessible by subway, making it free with my monthly Metrocard. For another one of the weddings, I got a ride from my roommate's fiancé. For the other four, plus one bridal shower, here's what transportation cost:
Lyft to a bridal shower in the Bronx: $26.88.
Borrowing my brother's car, which included a highway toll pass, to drive upstate: $28.85 for gas.
Jitney bus to New Jersey: $11 round trip.
Lyft to New Jersey: $65.25 round trip. Split between three people each way, I paid $21.75.
Amtrak to Washington, DC: $106. This was a splurge, but I didn't want to deal with traffic getting back into the city after a holiday weekend and it was an hour shorter than a bus would have been. Definitely worth it.
Total transportation expenses: $194.48.
I spent $96.85 on accommodations for two out-of-town weddings.
Two of the weddings required overnight stays outside of the New York metropolitan area:
Hotel upstate: $119.98. Split two ways, I paid $60.
Hotel in Washington, DC: $137.35. I booked through my credit card's rewards website and used $63.64 worth of points, bringing the cost to $73.71. Split two ways, I paid $36.85.
Total accommodation expenses: $96.85.
For my outfits, I spent $115.66 on four dresses.
After a few unsuccessful department store trips, I decided to try ordering cheap dresses on Amazon for the convenience factor. Not all of them were winners, but I kept these four and rotated them out throughout the summer:
Lamilus Midi Swing Dress with Pockets: $25.99. As a side note, I cannot recommend this dress enough. It's comfortable, has pockets deep enough to hold all the essentials without looking bulky, and I got tons of compliments on it.
Total outfit expenses: $115.66.
I spent a grand total of $599.42 as a wedding guest this summer — about $100 per wedding.
The Knot found that wedding guests spend an average of $776 per wedding. My total of just under $600 for six weddings didn't come close to that. This is likely because most of the weddings I went to were local, so I didn't have to book any expensive flights or accommodations for more than one night.
I can honestly say that spending my summer celebrating love in all its splendors was worth every penny. But if you're a frequent wedding guest on a budget like myself, here are a few ways I'd recommend saving money:
Split costs with others when possible. Fill every available seat in rideshares. Buddy up for hotel rooms or Airbnbs. Some registries also let you contribute smaller amounts towards more expensive items or gift an amount of your choice to a cash fund.
Join hotel rewards clubs. With many chains, all you have to do is set up a free account online for perks like cheaper member rates and late checkout. If you go to enough weddings and rack up enough points, you can earn a free stay.
Take advantage of credit card rewards. Save up credit card points and cashback rewards for big occasions that come with big expenses. Business Insider named Chase Freedom Unlimited as the best card for everyday spending, and it served me well this summer by paying for almost half of one of my hotel stays.
Repeat outfits. There is literally nothing wrong with wearing an item of clothing that you own more than once. Just don't wear white.
