Yahoo Finance Aussie has no regrets spending $15k on weddings
'I've been to nine weddings in the last five years and none of them have been a taxi ride away.'
From Sydney to Canberra, to the Southern Highlands and even London - Ash Kent will celebrate the love of her friends where ever it may take her.
The 30-year-old Sydney woman has travelled up to 17,000 kilometres and has no regrets about the money she's spent on the extravagant nuptials of her nearest and dearest, which she ball parks costing her upward of $15,000.
"I've been to nine weddings in the last five years and none of them have been a taxi ride away," she told Yahoo Finance.
"They've all been destination weddings except for one, I even went to one in England. It definitely cost more than $2,000."
New Finder survey found Australians are spending about $1,993 on average to attend a wedding and its associated events.
A wedding in the UK was the most expensive for the two-time bridesmaid and bouquet catcher.
She spent $3,000 on flights for the two week get away and $500 for an outfit.
But even a destination wedding in Australia quickly adds up once you consider accommodation, a gift, an outfit and petrol.
She estimated spending about $1000 on attending a local wedding, which could blow out when factoring in something like a hens weekend in Byron Bay, where all inclusive accomodation - covering food and drink - cost $800, plus $300 for flights.
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"It is a holiday and you get a night of unlimited food and drink," she said.
"You've also got people who want to have a bridal shower, a hens, brunch and the recovery party.
"I like to party away with friends of mine, and see best friends being loved but people having a destination wedding should definitely think about putting on the invitation - 'your presence is our present'."
The survey found people spent about $240 on gifts, $759 on transport and $556 on accomodation.
Pre-wedding events - like a bucks, bridal shower or hens - set back the average Aussie $179, however men owned up to spending about $53 compared to a woman's $257.
An outfit for a single event could cost as much as $280, but a special occasion where she was bridesmaid Kent spent $400.
This wasn't always the case. The communications specialist cut cots by borrowing an outfit for one wedding, and said she wore clothing she already owned for many events leading up to ceremonies.
In a cost of living crisis, where prices for fuel, groceries, rent and bills continue to soar - Kent said she doesn't regret spending the money over the last five years as the memories and connections she's created are worth every cent.
"To be honest, I've never thought about how much I've spent because it's just always been a fun time of my life with people that I love," she said.
"I've had to save to make it work but people always give you enough heads up to make sure you're not put out and in my experience there's never been pressure to attend if you can't afford it."
Kent's encounters may not reflect every Australian's, and money expert Rebecca Pike has some tips for those trying to reduce costs.
"If your bank account is in no shape to give, think of other ways you can show you care," Pike said.
"You could cook them a special meal after their honeymoon or offer them your time working on something you know how to do better than they do."
She agreed with Kent that planning ahead is key.
"If you know you have a wedding or two coming up, start setting money aside. Think about how much you can realistically afford to spend on each wedding, including travel, accommodation, and gifts. If you need to travel by plane, book your flights as soon as possible."
Reusing or borrowing an outfit can slash costs, while sharing accomodation also eases financial pressure.
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