Tag Archives: wedding season

Bride And Gloom For Wedding Guests: Cost of Being a Guest Mounts

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Getting hitched abroad spells financial trouble for wedding guests 

wedding guests cost of attending a wedding

  • One in ten (10%) people will be attending a wedding abroad in the next 12 months
  • Average cost of attending a wedding abroad is more than double the cost of being a guest at a wedding in the UK  (£564 v £247)
  • More than one in six couples planning to get married abroad (15%) are opting to do so as it works out cheaper for them than getting hitched in the UK
  • One in 10 (10%) Brits believe the bride and groom should subsidise their flights and accommodation if they want them to attend their wedding abroad

 

Are couples sacrificing their guest’s bank balance for their own happiness? With wedding season now upon us, it’s easy to see how the cost of a wedding can mount up – and not just for the bride and groom!

 

New research from Confused.com reveals that the average cost of attending a wedding abroad is more than twice as much as being a guest in the UK (£564 v £247). And with a quarter of UK couples (25%) planning to travel to distant shores in the next 18 months just to put a ring on it, their guests may be left facing a difficult situation.

 

The research from the leading price comparison site reveals that one in ten people (10%) are planning on attending a wedding abroad within the next year, despite the hefty price tag.  However, many wedding guests are showing a lot of negative sentiment when thinking about celebrating the happy couple’s big day in a foreign land. One in seven (14%) Brits would not travel abroad to attend a wedding regardless of who it was for, with over half (59%) preferring to attend a wedding in the UK.

 

Unsurprisingly, over a third (39%) of people think it’s a big request to ask people to travel abroad for a wedding. Nearly one in seven (13%) people admit that they don’t want to waste their limited holiday allowance paying a lot of money to only see the bride and groom for a few hours.

 

For those Brits who are willing to travel overseas for a wedding, restraint is being shown when buying wedding gifts. In fact,nearly one in 10 (9%) people don’t feel they need to buy the bride and groom a present at all if they are paying for flights and accommodation just to attend their nuptials.

 

To balance things out, some Brits (10%) feel that the bride and groom should subsidise their flights and accommodation if they want them there to share their big day. And for some lucky guests, this is in fact the case, as some happy couples are subsidising their guests to come to their wedding abroad. More than one in ten (12%) couples planning to get married abroad say they are doing this for their guests.

 

For those couples planning a wedding abroad, there are a variety of different factors influencing their decision – fromoverbearing parents and warring relatives to spiraling budgets, opting for a ceremony overseas can seem like the easier option for many.

 

A sixth of couples getting married abroad (15%) are choosing to do so as it works out cheaper than getting hitched in the UK. Nearly one in 10 (7%) also felt they were getting better value for money by travelling abroad for their nuptials rather than staying in the UK.

 

A quarter (25%) of couples planning to get married abroad admit they are doing so as it means they don’t have to invite every family member to the wedding, with more than one in six (15%) believing it would cause less arguments for them to go abroad to get hitched. In fact, one in 14 couples planning to get married abroad (7%) are doing so because they feel it would be less stressful than getting hitched in the UK.

 

Weather is also a key factor tempting British couples away from a traditional UK-based wedding. Over a third (34%) of couples getting married abroad chose to do so as they wanted guaranteed good weather and sunshine on their big day.

 

The five most popular destinations that people want to get hitched in include:

 

  • Caribbean (19%)
  • Australia (12%)
  • America (10%)
  • Canada (8%)
  • Cyprus (8%)

 

 

 

 

Royal Wedding highlights those hidden calories as summer wedding season gets underway

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The wedding season is well and truly upon us with the nuptials of William and Kate providing a dramatic start for 2011.

But while most of us will see the pounds flying from our wallets with outfits and presents we often overlook the pounds that we pile on during the celebrations.

Fitness First Personal Trainer of the Year Katie Ford said that weddings can see us eat up to 5,000 calories in one day – and that’s without the excesses of a hen or stag do and a large fry up following the wedding day.

“As summer and the wedding season approaches it’s easy forget how many calories we can actually consume over the course of a day,’’ said Katie.

She says that with Champagne at 90 calories a glass, a few canapés at 200 calories each, a three course celebration meal at 1,000 calories and a single piece of wedding cake 650 calories you are already at around 2,500 calories.

“Add to this wine, beer, breakfast before the ceremony and a tasty evening buffet and you can easily consume 5,000 calories,’’ said Katie.

“It is difficult to avoid those extra calories and so we still need to exercise in order to keep in shape and not totally abandon our fitness routines.’’

Katie suggests a number of short workouts which are perfect for burning those extra calories, all of which can either be done at home, outdoors or in the gym. “You can fit these in around any kind of summer celebration where the calorie count is high from a wedding to birthday parties or BBQ.’’

Katie’s wedding workout recommendations
· One glass of Champagne = 90kcal
Try 10 minutes on the cross trainer or power walking up hill
· Glass of red wine = 135 kcal
Try 20 minutes of a group exercise class or video – for example Get Fit with Mel B group exercise class or Video Game
· 1 pint of beer = 225kcals
Try 30 minutes of a Body Attack class
· One/two canapes = 291kcal
Try 30 minutes of running or jogging, either on the treadmill or in a park
· Slice of wedding cake = 650 calories
A Zumba class can easily burn off 650 calories – and you can have fun at the same time.
· Half pork pie = 245kcals
Try 30 minutes of an RPM/Group Cycling class or an hour’s bike ride
· Wedding meal with wine = 1,000 calories
Complete all of the above classes and exercises.

Pictured – Katie Ford – Fitness First Personal Trainer of the Year

Over half of women go Dutch on a first date, but men still want to pay

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Women will need to be financially prepared to pay their half as they break from first date tradition

New research from online bank first direct has found sharply differing financial attitudes to first dates between the sexes. While women have a progressive attitude to dating expecting to split the bill on a first date, men still like to play the hunter gatherer role and pick up the bill. With women breaking from tradition and expecting to pay at least some of the bill, they especially will have to be financially prepared for the cost of dating like never before.

Independent Women

The survey of 1,924 UK adults found that 58% of women expect to split the bill on a first date, double the proportion of men (29%). Additionally, 14% of women think it should be whoever suggested the date. Just a quarter of women said that they thought men should pay for a first date, while 3% said they should foot the bill, suggesting that women feel they shouldn’t be beholden to men, but that men should also pay their way.

Hunter Gatherer

Men on the other hand believe that chivalry isn’t dead, with 55% expecting to pay the full bill on a first date, and men spending an average of £65 on a first date compared to women who spend £50. Shouldering not just the financial burden but also the organisational responsibility, more than nine in ten males (94%) would organise the first date, compared with just 65% of women.

The average amount that people expect to pay on a first date is £56 and highlighting the financial considerations behind dating, 38% percent of people would use discount vouchers on a first date, a figure slightly higher for men (41%) than women (36%).

Richard Brown, Senior Savings Product Manager at first direct commented:

“As we approach the wedding season, the couple on everyone’s lips is Kate Middleton and Prince William. It would be fascinating to know if they split the bill or if William paid and pulled out a discount voucher on their first date. If he did, he is far from alone – dating can be an expensive business and if you do not have the disposable income of a future royal, it is important to make sure you have enough money saved to find The One.”