A woman has recently gone into Sh288,000 debt after attending 20 weddings in four years that resulted in her spending over Sh1.3 million as a wedding guest.
Georgina Childs, from Essex, England, who works as a PR account manager has been forced to move back in with her parents as a result of the extravagance.
20 weddings and 12 bachelor parties (hen dos) can rack up quite the bill.
"I shudder when the invite arrives. I wish I could say no — but how do you tell your friends you just don’t think their wedding is within your budget? I know the drill at weddings. The bride will walk down the aisle to Ed Sheeran, the floral theme will be subdued greenery — and my bank balance will have taken another hit to the tune of $380," Childs explains.
)
)
)
“That’s travel, accommodation, hotel, a gift and a dress. And that figure doesn’t even include the hen do.”
Since 2014, Childs has spent around Sh1.3 million on the events.
She says, “I used to love going to weddings. It was all new and exciting and although it cost a lot, I could budget ahead of time."
“But from 2014, invites started arriving thick and fast. My calendar was getting booked up and money was pouring out. I started to panic. It felt like all the other guests could afford things like staying in a nice hotel or chipping in for the joint gift and I couldn’t.
“There was a pressure to keep up. By 2016, the only way to do that was to put hotel costs and drinks on a credit card. But I struggled to pay it off. I kept adding hotel reservations, train bookings and flights."
“In November last year, I had $2,219 (Sh 223,000) on a credit card and was $1,145 (Sh 115,000) into my overdraft. I tried to keep costs down by booking Airbnbs and borrowing outfits but it still kept increasing.”
ALSO READ: This couple had the most 'Kenyan' engagement shoot ever (photos)
Childs has also been a bridesmaid seven times.
In one wedding in Mayfair where she was a guest, she spent Sh35,000 on her dress because "everyone else was going all out".
In one three day wedding in Spain, she spent Sh86,000.
After the incremental pressure to be "the perfect wedding guest" and because Childs "can't say no thanks to a wedding invitation", she has decided to move back in with her parents to save on costs.
Source: