Attending lots of weddings this year? Here’s how to budget
To lower expenses, she attended five of them, but since she was in the wedding party for two and travelled to her hometown of Winnipeg for four, the costs were still significant.
The cost of attending a wedding this year is expected to be even higher because soaring inflation has made everything from beauty services to air travel more expensive. “You have people who have postponed from 2020 and 2021 and then ... couples who just always intended to get married this year,” said the owner of Ottawa-based Kennedy Event Planning.
If you know that you’ll likely be attending two or more weddings in the year ahead, try to create a wedding attendance savings account or bucket so that you’ll have a cushion built up, Patel said. For example, you might not have accounted for taxes on an Airbnb rental for an out-of-town wedding or a surprise brunch the day after with the wedding party or other guests.When it comes to getting the best flight deal, book flights early, Patel said. And, when possible, try to split accommodation and travel costs with friends and family. This could mean sharing a car rental or carpooling to the big day.“I always say pick early so you have choices within your budget,” Patel said.