A lifetime of weddings - the cost

Debenhams survey

A survey has revealed that UK residents spend on average over £7,500 attending weddings in their lifetime.

Debenhams conducted a survey as the warmer weather has urged couples set to wed this summer into action planning their big day.

The Debenhams survey of 1000 people showed that the average Brit will attend around 15 weddings in their lifetime, and each wedding will cost them approximately £510 – more than the average weekly wage. This includes the matrimonies of children, parents, friends, siblings and work colleagues.

The cost is calculated using the following average expenditure when being a wedding guest:

Item Cost (£)

Outfit £80

Wedding present £75

Accommodation £65

Drinks £80

Stag and Hen do £150

Travel £60

TOTAL £510

The traditional Wedding List service was still the most popular form of wedding gifting, however the usual suspects of kettles, toasters and gravy boats were way down the list of what guests were buying, with his ‘n’ hers ipods, digital cameras and gadgets such as electronic breadmakers being the gifts couples are putting top of their lists.

Second and third marriages emerged as a factor in why we are attending so many weddings, with more and more couples saying “I do” in their 50s and 60s. Over 65 per cent of those surveyed said they had at least one wedding to attend in 2012.

Michelle Dowdall, Spokesperson for Debenhams said: “There is no doubt that all over the UK, we love nothing more than seeing our nearest and dearest tie the knot, but the cost to do this can mount up without us realising.

“Our personal shoppers see a lot of customers who are searching for outfits for weddings, however our bridal occasionwear offer is snapped up by a lot of women over 50 who are saying ‘I Do’ for the second, third or even fourth time.”

Amount of weddings attended by an individual in their lifetime and accumulative cost

Number of Weddings Attended Total Spent (£)

5 £2,550

10 £5,100

15 £7,650

20 £10,200

25 £12,750

30 £15,300

35 £17,850

40 £20,400

45 £22,950

50 £25,500