· Britons will spend £2,151 attending three weddings in 2019
· Nearly half of adults will decline a wedding invite due to the cost of being a wedding guest
· Splashing out on overpriced accommodation to attend the wedding is Britons biggest gripe
Today, in a UK first, Travelodge, operator of563UK hotels, has launched a new bespoke wedding service to help brides and grooms eliminate the hassle and reduce the accommodation cost for their wedding guests.
The one stop Travelodge wedding service offers brides and grooms the following service:
· A dedicated wedding coordinator who creates a tailored low cost accommodation package close to the wedding venue
· A personalised wedding website that details wedding and accommodation details and a direct booking service for guests to book a low cost room for the big day (The couple just send the link to the website to their guests)
· A complimentary Travelodge room for the bride and groom to use during their wedding*
· Room rates start from £29
· For further details visit: www.travelodge.co.uk/weddings
The Travelodge bespoke wedding service has been designed in response to customer feedback and extensive consumer research with 1,500 British adults.
Key research findings revealed that 40% of Britons have been invited to three weddings this year and will be spending around £717 per wedding. Collectively this equates to £2,151 for the privilege of being a wedding guest
This expenditure includes: accommodation and transport at £183, a new outfit at £174, beauty treatments at £98, the wedding gift at £153 and miscellaneous costs such as drinks at the receptions (£109) totalling a huge £717 per wedding – which is the cost of a good holiday.
The survey also revealed that 47% of Britons will decline at least one wedding invite this year due to the cost of being a wedding guest.
The biggest gripe for most wedding guests is the accommodation cost of attending the wedding – especially as nowadays most weddings are major events and held away from home and could involve two nights away. Organising accommodation for guests is also a stressful and time consuming part of wedding planning for brides and grooms too.
Nearly a half of adults (46%) reported that they found it stressful and very time consuming finding cost effective accommodation close to the wedding venue.
Detailed below are Britons top five biggest gripes when it comes to attending a wedding:
1. Splashing out on overpriced accommodation
2. Hefty transport costs to and from the wedding
3. Looking good
4. Buying an expensive wedding present
5. Arranging a baby sitter
Interestingly a third (33%) of adults reported that they would prefer to spend their hard earned cash on taking a short break rather than attending a wedding.
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokesperson said: “Nowadays weddings are not just expensive and stressful for the bridal couple but they have become a budget-buster for guests too. With the average cost of attending a wedding being £717, which is the cost of a holiday, it’s not surprising, that so many Britons are declining attending their family and friends big day. To help ensure brides and grooms are surrounded by their loved ones on their big day, we have launched the one stop wedding service that eliminates the stress and reduces the accommodation cost for wedding guests. With a network of 563 UK hotels, there is always a Travelodge nearby.”
Further research findings revealed that Londonders are the UK’s most extravagant wedding guests spending a total of £740 per wedding. Londoners will also spend the most out of any city when it comes to accommodation, splashing out a whopping £200 per night per wedding. The second biggest spenders are Mancunians who splash out £680 per wedding and are also the most generous out of all the other regions when it comes to present buying, spending £155 on a gift for the newlyweds. Scousers are the UK’s third biggest wedding guest spenders forking out £620 with £285 of this going towards looking at their best when it comes to a new outfit and beauty treatments for the big day.
Coming in at number four are Geordie’s. Never ones to not have a good time, Geordie wedding partygoers will spare no costs and spend £600 per wedding with £135 of this going on their bar bill at the wedding reception. Following closely behind are Bristolians at £590. Completing the top five listing of the most extravagant wedding guests spenders are Oxfordians who will happily dig deep and splash £545 to attend a wedding.
The report also discovered the nation’s most frugal wedding guests with Wolverhamptoners topping the poll, spending as little as £190. In second place are Sheffielders who will only part with £200 to attend a wedding. In third place are Aberdonians spending £210. Nottinghamers will spare no more than £230 in attending their nearest and dearests big day and Janners complete the top five spending £240.
The table below ranks Britons most extravagant andsuperscrimper wedding guests:
Rank | Biggest Spenders | Spend | Superscrimpers | Spend |
1. | London | £740 | Wolverhampton | £190 |
2. | Manchester | £680 | Sheffield | £200 |
3. | Liverpool | £620 | Aberdeen | £210 |
4. | Newcastle | £600 | Nottingham | £230 |
5. | Bristol | £590 | Plymouth | £240 |
6. | Oxford | £545 | Norwich | £245 |
7. | Glasgow | £502 | Leicester | £260 |
8. | Edinburgh | £490 | Brighton | £300 |
9. | Leeds | £483 | Portsmouth | £305 |
10. | Cambridge | £470 | Birmingham | £315 |
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
The survey was conducted with a sample of 1,500 British adults in March 2019
Case studies are available of brides and grooms that have used the Travelodge wedding service
Terms and Conditions:
*Complimentary rooms are secured with a minimum of ten room bookings, secured and paid for, by the wedding party. Complimentary Rooms can only be used by the Bride and Groom and are subject to availability.
For further information, please contact:
The Travelodge Press Office
T: 01844 35 8703
E: pressoffice@travelodge.co.uk