The terms "wedding" and "budget" are most often associated with the expenses of the young couple for the organization of the wedding, and undoubtedly the bride and groom are indeed the ones who spend the most on the wedding. However, we cannot forget about the guests, and the fact that any wedding requires a financial investment for every guest.

LĪGAVĀM offers suggestions for guests attending one or more weddings this summer.

Expenses should be planned in advance

Being invited to a wedding is a great honor and also a great pleasure, but it also requires a certain financial investment, especially if you receive two, three or even more wedding invitations in one summer. For example, in the USA, one wedding guest spends even more than 1000 dollars when going to a wedding. Although such a study has not been conducted in Latvia, everyone who has been a guest at a wedding knows that it requires a certain financial investment. So that attending a wedding does not become a heavy burden and does not cause unnecessary anxiety in its approach, it is necessary to start thinking about the financial side early on.

One of the prerequisites for successful financial planning when going to a wedding is timely budget planning. If you're in the age group where your friends and peers are getting married one after the other, it's almost impossible that you won't have to attend a wedding in the next few years.

If you know that a wedding is planned this year or next year, then you can already start creating a budget and save a certain amount of money for each upcoming event. This should be done especially if you will be not only a guest at the wedding, but also an usher, for which the financial contribution will be even greater.

You should also remember pre-wedding parties, which also require a separate budget.

The positive thing is that you will probably know that you will have to go to a wedding many months, sometimes even a year in advance, which means that you can prepare for this event in time. If you know you'll be getting married in a year, you can set aside a certain amount each month for that event (especially if it's a destination wedding, for example, where you have to pay for both your plane tickets and accommodation).

Pre-wedding party - not beyond your means

Weddings, just like the pre-wedding parties of the bride and groom, are joyful events that should be treated as such. Although budgets for pre-wedding parties have been increasing in recent years, with the desire to provide all kinds of entertainment and surprises for the new couple, the financial situation should not be an obstacle for not attending.

When planning a pre-wedding party, it is important to plan everything so that not only the bride or groom likes it, but also that every girlfriend of the bride or friend of the groom can afford to attend. If, however, you feel that the expenses of the party could be too high (especially if it is decided to hold the pre-wedding party outside of Latvia), then it is perfectly acceptable if you decide not to go to it.

Choose to rent a dress instead of buying it

Every wedding guest, especially ladies, wants to look great at the wedding. It is a holiday for which new dresses and suits are searched for, and a visit to a hairdresser and make-up artist is requested. However, if you have to attend several weddings during one summer, it is likely that no lady will want to arrive in the same dress. That is why the rental of dresses is becoming more and more popular.

It's a great opportunity to look great for much less, not take up closet space with dresses you'll only wear once and save your wedding budget. There are also several dress rentals in Latvia, for example: My dress

Thoughtful, inexpensive gifts

One of the first things we think about when we receive a wedding invitation is what to give the new couple. If it is indicated that the couple would like to receive a greeting in an envelope, then the next question arises, how much such a greeting should be in terms of money.

When thinking about gifts, choose thoughtful, not expensive gifts. More expensive does not always mean better. No young couple would likely want to receive an expensive gift knowing that the guest cannot actually afford it. Instead, you can give the new couple a photo album of their photos, a collection of family recipes, or something else that would be a thoughtful and equally valuable gift.

PHOTO: ANNIJA VELDRE , KLYDE LIAPKIS , NAIRA KOSYAN , KRISTINE STAHANOVA , VILNIS SLUKA