1 in 3 Americans declining wedding invites due to cost, survey finds

Zola's director of communications shares how much U.S. couples are spending, on average, for weddings, and what they're most willing to splurge on.

As wedding costs continue to trend upward, the logistics are taking a financial toll on another unexpected source - the guests.

A new survey of over 1,000 Americans found that more than half (54%) feel weddings are becoming unaffordable for guests.

FILE - People at the banquet table at a wedding. Getty Images

Wedding costs for guests

On average, Americans said they spend the following to attend a wedding:

So far this year, nearly 1 in 3 people (29%) said they’ve skipped a wedding because it was too expensive to attend.

And about 27% said they’d turned down a wedding invitation because they didn’t have close enough ties with the bride and groom.

Nearly 3 in 5 (59%) survey respondents also think it’s okay to attend a wedding without giving a gift.

Broken down by generation, 72% of Gen Z are comfortable skipping the gift, compared to just 44% of baby boomers.

Additionally, 42% of those surveyed said they don’t send a gift if they decide not to go to a wedding.