With Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement news breaking the internet, you might be wondering how you’re going to survive this year’s wedding season without breaking your bank account. 

When you’re in your mid twenties and just starting to attend weddings it’s all glitz and glam.

But before you know it, you’ve got back to back wedding invites, which means back-to-back spending on gifts, travel, bucks/hens parties, engagement parties, and not to mention themed outfits for each event.

‍Weddings are expensive, and not just for the bride and groom.

This is something we don’t often talk about, especially as there can be unspoken expectations around weddings.

But with the rise of extravagant weddings, and multi-event celebrations, the cost of attending weddings has skyrocketed too.

We wanted to get a sense of how rough this financial burden can be, so we asked the Flux Fam to give us their take:

• 50% of the Flux Fam often or always find themselves spending more than they’re comfortable with as a wedding guest.
• And 29% of the Flux Fam have skipped a wedding in the past to avoid the added costs.

One Flux Fam member said, “I think weddings have become a huge industry and are about the money, rather than being with loved ones.”

The financial pressure of weddings can often lead to many of us making poor financial decisions in the spur of the excitement, and regretting them later on.

It’s my high school friends' bucks, of course I’ll chip in for the lavish Airbnb all the guys want.

My colleague invited me to her hens and the theme is pastels? Well I’ve got to get a new dress and my nails done.

It’s understandable, but making room for weddings on top of today's high cost of living is not easy.  

And we want to give a few handy tips to keep in mind before the wedding season officially begins.

💰 Base your decisions on your budget, not social norms

This is way easier said than done, because social norms often dictate our values and how we like to be perceived in society.

But if your financial decisions are causing you to let yourself down for the sake of social norms, who’s really losing out here?

And these social norms vary across families and communities, which can make it hard to keep track of what the “right” approach is.

You might have experienced norms on what’s an “acceptable” amount to gift to the newlyweds or the need to buy a new outfit for the occasion.

Instead of basing your decisions on what others are doing, make your wedding spending decisions based on what’s within your financial capacity.

📝 Plan and budget ahead

Usually wedding invites go out well in advance of the event, so you often have plenty of time to prepare in advance.

And the more time you give yourself to plan, the less likely you are to be caught off guard by them.

Think: wedding outfit, engagement party outfit, hens/bucks, accessories, Ubers to and from the venue…it all adds up.

Update your budget with how much you expect to spend on the wedding, so you can shift around your expenses as needed to accommodate the wedding spending.

Note: it’s never recommended for anyone to take out debt to fund an expense like a wedding, whether it be as a guest or as a bride/groom.

💐 Openly communicate your financial boundaries

Yes it’s awkward. But it shouldn’t be.

If you’re being asked to spend more than you’re comfortable with as a wedding guest, be upfront about it.

For example, you might be asked to attend a hens or bucks getaway that really blows your budget out.

You could have a candid conversation with the bride or groom that you’re not comfortable spending that much and make arrangements to attend for a shorter period of time, or celebrate with them in a way that is within your means. 

This way, you’re not holding onto any grudges or resentment as a wedding guest either.

Remember, at the end of the day, weddings are about celebrating love, it’s not about how much money you spend.