Get out the credit card: It’s your best friend’s wedding

WASHINGTON – Great news: You’ve been invited to a friend’s wedding.

Bad news: It’s in Costa Rica.

Visions of the wedding march turn into the march toward debt as you get ready to shell out if you want to attend.

Marketwatch.com reports a new poll finds 43 percent of Americans say they’ve declined attending a wedding for financial reasons.

An American Express survey found the average cost to attend a wedding, including paying for airfare, hotels, car rental, child care, party attire and the like, reached $539 in 2013 – 60 percent higher than last year.

According to American Consumer Credit Counseling, the pressure from friends and family is so strong that 36 percent have actually gone into debt over attending a wedding.

Since the average cost of a wedding last year was more than $28,000, it bodes the question:

Has anyone thought of eloping?

Learn more about the financial impact of weddings by watching the MarketWatch video below:

WTOP’s David Burd and Lacey Mason contributed to this report. Follow @DavidBurdWTOP, @LaceyWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up