Over the past decade-plus, the growing cost of weddings has become a major financial pain point—not just the cost to host the wedding itself, but the cost to simply attend. Destination bachelor and bachelorette parties as well as weddings are on the rise, and people are shelling out more to travel for their friends’ and family members’ big days.
In fact, almost 60% of those traveling for weddings and bachelor or bachelorette trips say they are spending more than $1,000 on travel for the events, according to a survey released Tuesday from CIT Bank. Not for nothing, it seems like it is impossible to find a well-made dress or suit to wear to the events that is also affordable. The strain is real: More people report going into debt to attend these events.
In past years, I have certainly spent that much traveling for weddings and bachelorette parties. Part of it cannot be helped: I moved away from my home state of Michigan to New York, meaning I am often traveling between the two for milestone events. And many of my friends have also moved from New York City. If I want to see them IRL, it is going to cost money. Thanks to my husband’s and my families and friends being spread all over the country, I had my own wedding at a destination that required travel for virtually every attendee.
Luckily, this year I only had one local bachelor party and wedding to attend. I was able to rewear a dress from my own bridal shower to the wedding, and we took an Uber home. I spent around $250 on the bach, $200 on the wedding gift, and around $50 on the Uber home. But I have some friends who have to travel what seems like every other weekend this summer.
What about you? How much are you spending to attend weddings this year?
