As someone who just recently hosted a wedding, it’s a bit disconcerting to read the latest news that, according to an American Express survey, wedding guests expected to spend an average of $539 per wedding attended this year.
That’s a whole lot of money to be a guest.
The estimate, which is up $200 from last year, includes everything from what a wedding guest would shell out for clothes and a hotel room to the costs of attending the bachelorette party.
As a bridesmaid, you may be stuck with a ugly bill in addition to an ugly dress. Members of the bridal party forecasted they will spend $577 on a wedding, nearly $40 more than the average guest, according to the survey.
The buck doesn’t stop there, though. The survey also found that affluent guests—those whose household incomes were more than $100,000—estimated they would spend around $960 per wedding this year, up from the $545 estimate in 2012.
Surveyed wedding guests admitted to spending around $179 on gifts if they were a close family member, $66 if they were a coworker and $79 if they were a friend on the outside of the couple’s close-knit group.
The American Express infographic below breaks down what you can expect to pay the next time you receive that fancy wedding invitation in the mail.
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