How I visited 20 weddings for 4 of the year and nearly went bust
'18.04.2018'
Source: New York Post
"We got engaged!". A phrase that can cause friends and relatives pleasant excitement or ... fear. When emotions pass, you realize that you have to fork out, and with each new wedding the pressure increases.
30-year-old Georgina Childs almost went broke because she was invited to attend weddings twenty times in just 4 of the year, says New York Post. The PR manager went into debt (now around 2900 US dollars) and moved back to her parents after 20 weddings and 12 hen parties.
“I flinch when an invitation comes in. I wish I could say no, but how do you explain to your friends that their wedding is shaking your budget? I know how it will be: the bride walks down the aisle to the music, there is a riot of flowers around, and my bill will be reduced by $ 380 again. "
This amount usually includes travel, accommodation, hotel, gift and dress. “And we haven't even gotten to the bachelorette party yet,” adds Georgina. Since the summer of 2014, she has spent $ 9250 on weddings and $ 3980 on hen parties, for a total of $ 13200.
“I used to love going to weddings. These were new experiences, and although it was expensive, I fit into the budget. But since 2014, invitations have poured out like a horn of plenty. My calendar was packed tightly with them, and money flowed like a river. I started to panic. It seemed to me that all other guests can afford hotels and good gifts, but I am not. "
The pressure increased - and by 2016 the girl “got into” loans and constantly tried to repay them. She also had to be the main bridesmaid seven times, which significantly increased the cost of the wedding. Most of the weddings that Georgina attended, she admitted, were “too chic”, so she had to buy expensive clothes and gifts so as not to look like a poor relative compared to the rest of the guests. Among other things, each time she had to take time off at work, so she instantly spent her annual leave on these days.
“When you tell people that you are flying to a wedding in another city or even a country, they all think this is a great vacation. But in fact, this is not a holiday at all. By the way, I can't remember at all the last time I bought something for myself that was not related to the wedding theme. ”
Having moved to her parents from a rented apartment, Georgina found two more wedding invitations there. She is now trying to limit herself to one or two weddings a year to restore her balance. But he doesn’t believe it is possible: “Half of my friends are engaged.” And he still can't say no.
