 |
||||
The Cost of Being a Guest 
Sure, it costs a lot to throw a wedding. But what does it take to attend one? Today’s economic climate doesn’t just have brides getting creative with their budgets, it also has guests thinking about how they’ll be spending when it comes time to attend a wedding. But according to an AP-Brides.com poll of 1,000 adults, they’re not changing their habits too much when it comes time to celebrate. Here’s a look at what they found: Gift-Giving • 90 percent of respondents who had attended a wedding recently had given a gift. • $100-$199 is the most popular price point for a gift, followed by $50-75 • Pre-wedding events resulted in less frequent giving: 37 percent of respondents purchased a gift for the bridal shower, and only 10 percent of respondents purchased a gift for the engagement party. Gift-Receiving • 70 percent of respondents thought the happy couple should not expect a gift from all their guests. Older guests are more likely (65+, 35 percent) than younger guests (<30, 24 percent) to say the couple should expect a gift. • 63 percent of respondents said they would feel obligated to send a gift, even if they weren’t attending the wedding – 72 percent of seniors, compared with 53 percent of those under 30. 
Attending Issues • 3 percent of respondents said they had declined a wedding invitation during the past two years because of the cost factor. • Among those who had attended a wedding recently, the median cost of attending was $200 – including gifts, travel, lodging, clothing and other expenses. • 38 percent of respondents traveled to attend a wedding, with 77 percent going more than 100 miles away. Likes & Dislikes • 60 percent enjoy watching the ceremony. • 56 percent enjoy the music and dancing. • 52 percent enjoy the food at the reception. • Women enjoy seeing the “I Do’s” and the gown (73 and 72 percent), while men enjoy the food at the reception (55 percent). |
||||
|
||||
