The price of being a wedding guest

A wedding can be an expensive affair for the bride and groom. However, according to new research, it can also be relatively costly for their guests as well.

Being a guest at the wedding of a family member or friend can set the average Briton back £366, a new study from CreditExpert.co.uk has found. The survey took into account the cost of new outfits for the big day, hen and stag dos and wedding presents. As a result of attending several weddings, some people are actually going into debt.

This is perhaps unsurprising, given that the average wedding guest spends around £70 on a gift for the happy couple, and approximately £130 if they attend a hen or stag do. And what's more, the research found that one in five wedding guests will splash out on an expensive gift for people they don't even know, while 16 per cent are resentful if they have to part with their money for a present.

"Weddings are a time to celebrate but it's clear that people are increasing their financial stress and spending money they don't have simply in order to be there," commented Jim Hodgkins, the managing director of CreditExpert.

Interestingly the research also found that people who are getting married often underestimate how much their wedding is going to cost, and fail to realise it could well set them back as much as £18,000.