Be a wedding guest for less!

With wedding season just around the corner, read Rachel Robson's seven top tips to cut the cost for guests.

This year I feel like I'm an extra in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral. Because by the time the year is out, I will have attended exactly that - four weddings and a funeral.

To me, weddings seem to be a bit like buses. None come along for ages, and then four come along all at once.

Unfortunately this means whenever a wedding invitation lands with a 'ker-splat' on my doormat, I tend not to jump up and down with excitement, but instead I usually sigh and groan.

Before I ruin my chances of ever being invited to a wedding again, let me stress that it's not attending the wedding itself that I dread, it's purely the cost. Why does it all have to be so expensive?

Wedding blips

New research from Direct Line, has revealed it will cost an average of £279 to attend a wedding this year  - after adding up the costs of attire, travel, accommodation, a babysitter, drinks at the reception and a wedding gift.

So, taking this into account, this means I will be spending more than £1,000 on weddings this year. Ouch!

Wedding tips

So, if you've got to fork out for what feels like a zillion weddings this year, how can you still go without seriously hurting your wallet? Well, I've come up with seven fabulous tips to help you:

1) Budget

A great way to battle the costs of being a wedding guest is to budget. Plan ahead and make a list of all the costs you think you'll face in the run up to the wedding(s). Work out how much you can realistically afford to spend on each aspect of the wedding - such as a new outfit and the wedding present.

Try really really hard to stick to this budget as this will prevent you from overspending and help you stay in control of your finances.

2) Save save save

Another great tip is to start saving as early as possible. Even if you can only afford to put aside £25 into a savings account each month, this will soon add up. And when you come to pay for accommodation/wedding gifts/travel expenses, you'll find it much easier to have a savings pot to dip into than being forced to find hundreds of pounds on the spot.

3) Be creative!

When it comes to what to wear to a wedding, I reckon women get the raw deal (yes, obviously I'm biased). Women tend to feel they can't wear the same dress to more than one wedding, particularly if certain guests have already seen them in it.

But this doesn't mean you have to buy a brand new outfit for every single wedding. Instead, it's worth buying something fairly plain and jazzing it up with pretty accessories - or even beads and sequins if you're good at that sort of thing! That way, you can wear the same dress to each wedding, but you can make it look a little different.

4) Plan ahead

Take advantage of any sales you come across in the months before the wedding. You never know, you might be able to pick up a bargain!

It's also worth planning ahead when it comes to booking accommodation and travel. Hotels near wedding venues get booked up fast, and the cheaper accommodation is most likely to disappear first. So try to book as early as possible - you may even find you're offered a cheaper deal for doing so.

Similarly, if you're travelling by public transport, make sure you book in advance to get the best deals. Megabus and National Express are worth checking out for cheap coach and train travel. For more tips on cutting train costs read How to beat the train fare hikes!

5) Use your skills!

If there's nothing in your price range on the wedding list, see if you can use your skills to your advantage. Perhaps you're a fantastic cake maker and could make the wedding cake as a wedding present? Or could your band play at the reception?

However, if this feels a little inappropriate, why not turn your creative skills to designing your own personalised gift - such as a photo album dedicated to special moments in the couple's lives.

There is, of course, nothing stopping you from buying something that's not on the wedding list. But if you're planning to do this, you'll need to be sure the couple will like the gift and that it's something they don't already own. A gift card could be a better alternative.

6) Don't feel pressurised

Turning down a wedding invitation can be a difficult thing to do. But if you're really struggling with your finances and your friend is asking you to fly out to Barbados for her wedding, there's no shame in politely turning down the invitation. It won't do you any favours if you end up in masses of debt because you were too proud to say no. The same goes for hen/stag parties.

7) Club together

If you're flying solo see if there's anyone you can share a room with at the hotel/B&B and split the cost. Similarly, if you need to rent a car or grab a taxi to the venue, ask if anyone else will be willing to travel with you.

Clubbing together for a wedding gift is also a good way of choosing something suitable without doing serious damage to your wallet.

So there you have it - seven nifty tips to help reduce the costs of being a wedding guest! Right, I'm off to sew some sequins on my dress...

More: How to tie the knot on a budget | Why you should always lie about money