Attending wedding $539: Credit card company American Express reported that on average, American guests have to spend an average of $539 to attend a wedding this year.
The company surveyed 1,500 individuals before coming up with its findings, taking into account travel, gifts, and new outfits. Most of the costs, or $167, will go into travel, it found.
Wedding guests told the company they will spend an average of $108 on gifts, up 15 percent from last year. It added that close relatives tend to spend more while others, like friends and co-workers, spend less on gifts.
“Following ‘will you marry me?,’ couples pop another important question – ‘will you be a bridesmaid/groomsmen?’ For those who answer yes, they can expect to spend an average of $577, up from $377 in 2012, on everything from pre-wedding festivities to gifts and wedding party attire,” reads a press release from American Express.
The $539 is also up more than $200 over the previous year’s figure, American Express said in a study.
“Financial optimism is on the rise,” David Rabkin, senior vice president of consumer lending at American Express, told Today.com. “They’ve also learned great lessons – they are a little less hesitant to go to their wallets,” Rabkin said, referring to the role of consumers in the current state of the U.S. economy.
