Wedding Bills Will Be Ringing

Wedding Guest by yoproblog

The second a YoPro turns 24, a big bag of mail gets dumped on your apartment steps. You think it's your loving family and friends wishing you a happy birthday, but no: it's the start of a wedding marathon that will not let up for the next 10 years of your life. Suddenly everyone and their mom decides that they are getting married (no joke, my mom is actually getting married in 2 weeks) and they want you to grace them with your presence.

You start hearing your friends saying "I'm going to 4 weddings this summer." It sounds far-fetched at first, especially when they start saying "I'm IN 5 weddings this summer," but then you get to the day where you utter "I'm IN 6 weddings this summer and 2 of them are on the same day" when you realize that the wedding cyclone has seized you too. Suddenly you're not in Kansas anymore, and you're paying for an expensive hotel room in the Hamptons that costs almost as much as the money you forked over to buy the matching ruby red slippers the bride requested that her bridesmaids wear.

What no one tells you when you get that first disgustingly cute invitation is that while weddings can be quite romantic and a great excuse to party, they're also a money trap.
I've seen coworkers, cousins, and friends endure destination weddings, $350 bridesmaid dresses (before alterations), blowing through all of their vacation time in one summer, registrations at Tiffany (just Tiffany) and countless engagement/shower/bachelorette/rehearsal dinner/wedding/day-after brunch parties. Personally, I think it's a little ridiculous to expect or ask your friends to spend that much time and money on your wedding. I'll be grateful if people show up to my wedding, let alone bring gifts or throw me a shower. For me, a wedding boils down to a meaningful ceremony and a chance to throw the party to end all parties with every person that's close to me surrounding me on the dance floor. I'm not going to find that in a blue Tiffany box. Fortunately I do not have to worry about this because there is not a bone in my body that wants to get married anytime soon. I doubt I will be married by 30, let alone 35. But some of my other friends have said that because their friends have put them through such torture, they will be returning the favor by forcing their friends to do the same at equally expensive rates.

If you're gearing up for wedding season this summer and fall, a fair budget could run a YoPro $500 minimum per wedding. Don't ask me where you're expected to come up with that cash on the fly. Be sure to factor in your significant other's friends and family too, because you'll be roped into those as well and required to remind the BF that you both need to buy a gift and reserve the hotel room. Here are a few tips to make it more manageable:


Ensemble: $50
Po'Pro
I have a bad habit of not being able to wear the same dress twice to an event, so I routinely buy cheap dresses. I give myself a $30 cap on spending for the dress, with an eye toward $20. Marshalls, TJMaxx, and the H&M clearance racks are good places to periodically stock up. I invest in heels, purses, and wraps in staple colors at the same places so that I'm always covered (black, brown, nude, and silver) and only need to spend $20 total on any combo of them before an event.

BroPros, you have a penguin suit or a shirt/tie combo if you work in an office, so you're set.

Plane tickets: $250
Po'Pro: $130
As soon as I get the Save-The-Date in the mail, I put a price alert in my email for Kayak, as well as cheap airlines like JetBlue and Southwest. I sign up for rewards accounts to rack up points (which also works for Amtrak) and look for daily deals on sites like Groupon and Living Social for flight discount deals. The more travel resources you incorporate into your monthly budget, the more likely you'll be to save when it comes time to book your travel.

Hotel room: $99
Po'Pro: $79
If your friends are real friends, they reserve blocks of rooms at discounted rates at affordable hotels for their guests. These will typically run you $99 or more, depending on the hotel quality, location, and season. Cram as many friends in as you can-- it's one night.  Half of them won't make it to the bed before passing out on the floor and the other half is in the mood for spooning with anyone within reach.

If you don't have friends, make sure you have a AAA card because it will become your new best friend. You can sometimes score AAA rates on top of other discounts or deals (sometimes, not always). Picking up the phone and bargaining with the hotel manager can sometimes lead to more affordable pricing options as well.

If rooms aren't blocked, get to know Priceline and Hotwire. If you have transportation and an adventurous spirit, you can land great hotel deals.

Rental car: $100
PoPro: $75
Repeat: AAA cards are your best friends. They also work on Amtrak. You can get sizable discounts on rental cars. If rental cars aren't an option, check out Zipcar. They have daily rates than can be very affordable.

Gifts: $50 for shower gifts and $75-$100 in cash/check for wedding gift
PoPro: This doesn't exist. Etiquette requires that you pay the couple the equivalent of the cost of the plate of food plus some money for health and wealth. The amount can vary depending on how close you are to the couple, but this is the one part that you should try not to cut corners. Friends and family will definitely understand if you cannot afford this expense, but every effort should be made to try. If you truly can't afford it, your small gift must be incredibly personal and heartfelt (e.g. knitting them a quilt, starting a digital scrapbook of their wedding for you and them to finish, framing the readings from their ceremony, etc).