Wedding guests spend £13.8bn attending weddings

British wedding guests spend £13.8 billion attending weddings every year, according to new research.

The research, by home insurer Churchill, reveals that each adult spends just over £340 every time a friend or relative gets hitched. This means that all the guests attending a wedding spend over £39,000 between them on gifts, hen and stag ‘do’s’, travel and accommodation and buying new outfits.

The hen and stag ‘do’s’ soak up the most money. Giving the bride and groom a memorable send off will cost each guest just over £90. The research shows that for the last wedding they attended, a third (33%) went on nights out in town, a fifth (20%) went out to dinner locally and a further fifth (21%) went on a weekend break in the UK. One in ten (10%) went on a mini-break abroad.

Getting to and from the church or registry office and reception – and maybe staying overnight – is the second costliest part of the wedding day for guests. Petrol, taxis and hotel bills – and flights for those who are going abroad – cost £82.40 per person.

Another big expense for guests is purchasing the perfect wedding gift. Whilst the research shows that guests believe the etiquette is to spend £53 on a gift, they will actually splash out a little bit more at £60.31. The most popular gifts for newly-married couples are vouchers (26%), cash (13%) and gifts for the home including cookware (12%), glassware (6%), ornaments (5%) and electrical appliances and household gadgets (4%). Four in ten (44%) said they prefer to choose a gift from a wedding list whilst over half (53%) prefer to choose a gift themselves.

Sarah Haywood, the ‘Wedding Doctor’ and author, said: “Weddings are a costly business for all concerned – including guests - and this can often be over-looked. For example, although getting married is the one time in their life when couples can get down to some serious receiving, it is essential that the bride and groom set up a well-thought through gift list with a range of different gifts to choose from.”

Guests also want to look the part on the day and will buy a new wedding outfit. New shirts, ties, dresses, hats and other accessories cost both men and women £54.75 each. Each guest will also spend a further £20 on haircuts and beauty treatments.

Once the wedding speeches are over and the disco begins, the drinks really start to flow along with the cash, as each wedding guest spends nearly £28 on wines, beers and soft drinks.

Abi Clark, spokeswoman for Churchill Home Insurance said: “The research shows that as a nation we like to make an effort at weddings. This is often reflected in the costs associated with the big day for example the gifts, hen and stag do’s and even new outfits.”

Wedding guest spends per person

1. Hen / stag nights - £90.72
2. Travel and accommodation - £82.40
3. Gifts - £60.31
4. Outfits - £54.75
5. Reception drinks - £27.97
6. Hair and beauty - £20.69
7. Babysitters - £4.11

TOTAL: £340.95