Once, everyone’s friends and family would have lived nearby, and so if anyone was getting married, the wedding would be a local one. Today, however, there is a good chance that a loved one lives many miles away – or even in a different country – and if they invite you to their wedding (and if you want to go, of course), then you’ll need to prepare in advance. Here are some of the things you’ll need to think about:
Pack As Little as Possible
Packing can be one of the most stressful elements of going anywhere, let alone heading away to a destination or out-of-town wedding. To make it less stressful, try not to take too much. Apart from your outfit for the wedding itself, you won’t need a lot more – and if you’re only staying overnight, you really won’t need a lot at all. Although it can be tempting to take ‘spare’ items just in case you get your clothes dirty or change your mind about your outfit, stay away from this idea. It will only weigh you down, and most of the clothes won’t be worn at all.
You’ll also need to take a wedding present, and this can be difficult to pack too – especially if you’re traveling by plane. Instead of taking the gift, look for wedding gift ideas that can be sent ahead. You can either send it to the wedding venue or the couple’s home, and that saves you having to worry about it.
Accommodation
Depending on where you are going, it might be possible to stay with friends or family. This will, of course, be the cheapest option, so it might appeal, but it’s not always possible, and it’s not always something everyone will like the idea of. If this is the case and you need to find alternative accommodation in a hotel or an Airbnb or similar, then it’s best to book as early as you can, as soon as you know where and when you’ll be going.
If you leave booking until the last minute, you might indeed be able to save some money, but you also run the risk of not being able to find anywhere to stay, especially if it’s a big wedding, if there is an event on at the same time, or if there isn’t much accommodation nearby. If you have to stay further out from the wedding venue, you’ll then need to think about additional transportation, which will make logistics more difficult and add to the cost.
Budget
No matter where you are going, even if it’s just a couple of hours by car, it’s going to cost you something. It might be a negligible cost, especially if you don’t intend to stay overnight, or it could be many thousands of dollars. It’s best to work out exactly what it will cost you as soon as you can so you can budget correctly for the event. Include flights or fuel or a rental car, accommodation, the wedding gift, your outfit if you’re buying something new, and anything else that you intend to purchase that wouldn’t normally be part of your everyday outgoings.
Once you know how much it will cost, you can
start saving up. Or you can use a credit card to pay and then put aside a larger amount of money
each month to pay that off before too much interest accumulates.
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