the possible financial burden<\/a> of being part of a bachelor or bachelorette party, as well as the big day itself. <\/p>\n\u201cIf somebody says, \u2018I care about you, I really want to come to your wedding but I absolutely cannot afford five days in the Caribbean on top of already going to a wedding,\u2019 don\u2019t take it personally,\u201d Hargrove advises. <\/p>\n
Conversations surrounding money can be very emotional, but everyone involved will benefit if they approach the topic with understanding, recommended Hargrove. <\/p>\n
\u201cCouples have to keep in mind that people do have different budgets, different backgrounds. People have different work responsibilities and capabilities of taking PTO,\u201d said Sarah Schreiber, a former magazine weddings editor turned wedding consultant.<\/p>\n
Here are some recommendations for ways engaged couples can reduce costs for their wedding guests and how guests can participate without going into debt. <\/p>\n
Book different hotel options<\/p>\n
It\u2019s customary for the couple getting married to reserve a block of rooms at a discounted rate for their out-of-town guests. Schreiber recommends having at least a couple hotel options at different price ranges. <\/p>\n
Offer to pay for some services<\/p>\n
Covering the cost of transportation to and from the wedding venue, paying for childcare if kids are not invited to the celebration, and hosting a morning-after breakfast are other ways couples can make their wedding less expensive for guests, according to Cassie Horrell, a wedding planner based in Pittsburgh. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s little things you can do here and there to be mindful of what costs you can eat for your guests,\u201d Horrell said.<\/p>\n
Putting a \u201cno gifts\u201d request on your invitations is another way to reduce costs for guests, said Rachel Lawrence, the head of advice and planning for the budgeting app Monarch. <\/p>\n
Be up front with your wedding party<\/p>\n
Informing members of the wedding party and other close friends well in advance about what they can expect to pay for a bachelor party abroad or to rent a tuxedo or have their makeup done helps them decide if they can participate, Hargrove said. <\/p>\n
If someone agrees to be part of the wedding party and later learns a bride and groom have expensive tastes, they may feel cornered into spending on a splash they can\u2019t afford, she said. <\/p>\n
Don\u2019t take it personally if a guest cannot attend<\/p>\n
If a friend or relative says they cannot attend a pre-wedding event or the wedding itself due to cost, respond in a kind and gracious way, Hargrove advises. <\/p>\n
\u201cAccept it gracefully and you\u2019re gonna have a lot fewer issues relationally. It shows a lot of respect, it shows conscientiousness. People appreciate it. And there\u2019s a lot fewer hurt feelings,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Share costs with friends<\/p>\n
If the cost of attending a wedding is too high, consider dividing it with a group of friends, said Esther Lee, a deputy editor and wedding expert for The Knot. From sharing a hotel room or sleeping on someone\u2019s couch to going in on group trips and splitting the bill for airport transportation, other guests may also be on a budget. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s OK to skip some events<\/p>\n
Between the bachelorette party, the bridal shower and the weekend destination wedding, the costs can pile up. If you want to stay on budget, it\u2019s OK to skip some events and choose to attend the ones you think will be the most meaningful for the person getting married. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard for people to say no, and we want to show up for everyone. But if it doesn\u2019t work with your budget, then you don\u2019t want to be going into debt just to try and make it\u201d Chelsea Hodl, a financial planner for the financial services app Domain Money. <\/p>\n
Communicating to your friend or family member ahead of time which events you will be able to attend is recommended. <\/p>\n
Save money on your wardrobe<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re working on a tight budget, wedding attire is a place to cut back. Renting a dress or a tux from online websites like Rent The Runway, Nuuly or Black Tux may be less expensive than buying clothes you\u2019ll hardly ever wear. <\/p>\n
Guests also can consider wearing a dress they already own or borrowing one from a friend, The Knot\u2019s Lee said. <\/p>\n
\u201cNobody is judging you for re-wearing something, so don\u2019t be your harshest critic,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Be transparent with your friends<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t need to feel ashamed if you cannot afford to attend the wedding of a loved one, Hargrove said. Being honest about the reason why you won\u2019t be there for their special day can help prevent negative feelings or misunderstandings. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you are willing to be direct with someone, it just clears the air and it\u2019s amazing how powerful, clear, honest and direct self-disclosure can be,\u201d Hargrove said.<\/p>\n
If you will miss a friend\u2019s wedding, try showing your affection for them in another way, such as inviting them to dinner, or sending them flowers on the wedding day. An inexpensive gesture can demonstrate your love without sacrificing yourself and your finances. <\/p>\n
Morga writes for the Associated Press. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Weddings are meant to be celebrations of love. They may also require invited guests to make a financial…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":93454,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[62759,62758,16342,146,501,3745,45587,62756,85,46,1854,2101,12605,1266,62757,1510,2028,7582],"class_list":["post-93453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-budget-constraint","tag-christine-hargrove","tag-couple","tag-entertainment","tag-family","tag-friend","tag-gift","tag-guest","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-love","tag-money","tag-part","tag-people","tag-potential-cost","tag-transportation","tag-way","tag-wedding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93453\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}