Wedding Wednesdays: Four Ways to Save as a Wedding Guest

We're at that age where a lot of our friends are tying the knot. Soon you will be invited to six weddings in one summer and you'll have to balance your attendance and personal time as well as your checkbook. Weddings are expensive, if you didn't already know! Even as a guest, or as part of the wedding party, you will be spending a good amount of money. Today we bring you four ways to save as the invites come in over the next few years!

Buy your registry gift early!
Being prompt with the gift is a smart way to save money. You'll have a wider range of choices on the registry by buying early. Wait too long and everything in the mid-range may already be snatched up. If you're left with gifts that are out of your budget or there are several items priced in the low range, don't worry, you're not completely out of luck. Put together a curated gift of multiple items, like a bartending kit filled with a martini shaker, jumbo cube tray, corkscrew and coasters. This approach can get you to your target price.

Rent, don't buy, a dress!
We get it, you don't want to be a repeat offender, and the dress-disguised-with-bold-accessories trick only works so many times. Renting is the perfect happy medium. Sites like Rent The Runway let you borrow designer dresses for a fraction of the retail price. You'll feel great without spending your paycheck on a one-season dress. The ultimate money-saver!

Get in on the hotel room block!
Hotel room blocks secure a group rate for everyone that's generally lower than listed prices. Plus, couples usually choose a hotel that's easy to get to and from the wedding or someplace where provided transportation makes pickups and drop-offs. You also won't want to miss out on the after party at the designated hotel. Get in on the group block and even split the room to really be cost effective!

Split your travel!
Round up a group of your single friends or buddy up with another couple on a car rental. It makes way more sense to split the cost than to have a rental SUV and only use two seats. If you're not close enough with other guests of the wedding, ask someone in the bridal party if they know anyone interested in teaming up. They can help connect you, even if it's just for a shared taxi ride from the airport to the hotel. Some airlines also allow group discounts on tickets. These reduced fare programs are ideal for destination weddings as they may require 10 or more people to book in order to receive the discount.

We hope you can save some change over the next few years and make it to all the weddings you're invited to! Now devour the details of these cost effective measures and put some money away for your own wedding day!