Celebrate them saying ‘I do’ without demolishing your bank balance
Everyone loves awedding, but once you’ve factored in hotels, taxis, anew outfit and agift, suddenly celebrating someone else’s life choices leaves you with agaping hole in your bank account. Figures from American Express show the average cost of being awedding guest stands at an eye-watering £981 –the price of aholiday.
Thankfully, there are ways to keep costs down without being aparty pooper, say James Jones, head of consumer affairs at Experian, and David Beard, editor-in-chief of Lendingexpert.co.uk.
Here’s how you can attend your loved ones’ big days, without breaking the bank…
GET THERE FOR LESS
Booking train tickets or hotels? There is avery nifty trick to avoid getting ripped off. “Browsing in private mode automatically deletes your browser history when you close atab,” says David. Travel companies and booking sites use cookies to track what deals you’ve been looking at, meaning they can put the price up if don’t commit to a purchase on your first visit.
David says, “This is common practice on well-known holiday booking sites.” He recommends always booking ahead. “Whether it’s boat, train or plane tickets, the best deals are found well in advance – leaving it too late can triple the price. Another option is car sharing with friends and splitting fuel costs,” he says.
Even if you don’t know anybody making the same journey, ask the bride and groom if they do –the other guests may appreciate splitting the costs, as well.
HUNT DOWN HOTELS
Instead of booking the first hotel the bride and groom suggest, David urges doing abit of research. “Compare how much it costs to book direct with the venue versus via booking sites,” he says. “Don’t be afraid to haggle with hotels and ask whether they’ll consider adiscount for wedding guests. It’s highly unusual for hotels not to.”
James advises thinking outside the box when it comes to getting abed for the night. “Airbnb or a local bed and breakfast may work out cheaper than hotels, so weigh up your options,” he says. “If you are staying with multiple guests, consider sharing aroom or apartment with afriend or family member to halve the cost.”
DON’T BE AFRAID TO SAY NO
Done the sums and really can’t afford it? Don’t feel bad –around 40 per cent of people have declined awedding invite, because of costs. The most important thing is to flag well in advance if you can’t make it, as last-minute
