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Weddings are expensive as hell no matter how you slice it – flights, hotels, gifts, everything. But when you’re thrown in the mix as a groomsmen or bridesmaid, the volume on the cost gets turned up to max volume as your participation is required in every way.
You’ve probably heard a bridesmaid say, “The last thing I want to do is spend all this money on an ugly dress that I’ll never wear again.” And I identify with that because, hell, I can wear the shit out of any suit I have to buy for a wedding. And if it’s a black tie affair? You can just rent and be done with it. I, personally, just bought an inexpensive tux and got the living shit tailored out of it in an effort to make it look presentable, and it’s already paid for itself in less than a year. Now I’m just playing with house money and drinking on the bride and groom’s tab whenever I roll into the reception. Life is good.
All this time, I thought the girls were getting the shit end of the stick when it came to weddings. But Time actually dispels that myth by finding that, on average, groomsmen actually spend more than bridesmaids.
When it comes to the threads, a bridesmaid pays about $214.58 on their dress whereas a groomsmen spends a cool $245.50 on his tuxedo. On the flipside of that, though, the average tuxedo rental is $196. We’ve explained before that you should only rent something if it floats, flies, or fucks, so the same goes for tuxedos. The study also shows that younger men spend more on tuxedos ($314.26) than older men who were dropping a modest $205.90. It’s a look good/play good game you’re playing when you’re young and trying lock down a nice little filly, so it makes sense that the younger generation would shell out when the old guys have pretty much given up.
Even prior to the day of the wedding, it’s also noted that bachelor party spending vastly outweighs the spending on bachelorette parties. If you’re a groomsmen heading out to Vegas or enjoying a casual golf outing, you need to plan on shelling out an average of $682.13. Oh, and if you’re the best man? Brace yourself, because you’re spending an average of $998.78 to make sure your boy is taken care of. Bridesmaids, though, only spend a modest $386.89 with the maid of honor spending $552.33. There’s no telling whether or not this study includes the cash transactions at gentleman’s clubs, though, so the numbers could be a bit skewed.
The study also reported that 32% of groomsmen reported spending over $200 on gifts for the happy couple when only 20% of bridesmaids reported spending over $200. If I were a betting man, I’d say that the men are overspending because they forget and are trying to make up for lost time by spending a bit more (or just buying the last thing left on the registry), but that’s not from personal experience or anything.
Wedding season is in full swing, people. Might as well kiss your earnings goodbye until fall. .
Image via Shutterstock
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Will
Will (Twitter / Instagram) is the host of The Sunday Scaries Podcast.
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I have avoided these costs by not having any friends and rarely getting invited to weddings. So…win?
I’m probably gonna get downvoted for this, but I’m so glad my group of friends aren’t “Vegas Guys”. I’ve been a best man twice and didn’t have to go through planning a Vegas weekend that made me full of regrets/poor.
I’m with you. For my b-party, we found the shadiest golf course we could, acted like total drunken hooligans, and then went to a seedy middle-America strip club where the girls still knew the value of a dollar and you could have a shitload of fun for $200. I don’t need me and my buddies’ wallets to be bro-raped to have some fun.
I grew up in the country, and two miles down a dirt road from my house was a sketch golf course with dirt green. My buddies I would just go their and get smashed.
Okay
I can believe this. I don’t know how most bachelorette parties work but I know firsthand that making sure your boy is taken care of at the Vegas strip club gets pricey real quick.
Seriously. I don’t know what I was more upset about: fronting $400 for bottle service on my credit card or the fact that red bulls were $12 a piece at the table.
I got tricked into buying my buddy a double “entertainer” lap-dance. The economist in me thought I would get a discounted rate for buying in bulk. Not the case. He would have been better off with two separate dances; they would have worked a little harder for the dollar.
Hair? Makeup? Shoes? Nails? Alterations?
All voluntary on your part.
Apparently you’ve never met a bride… or tried on a dress.
Au contraire, he wears them all the time.
Bridal showers though… Venue + food + alcohol + gift + party favors are all standard costs we have to pick up. It’s every bridesmaid’s nightmare. Expensive AND boring AF
You chicks do that to yourselves/each other, don’t expect us dudes to feel bad for you.
That…actually makes sense now that I think about it. I spent about a grand taking my buddy to Vegas for his bachelor party. The bride and bridesmaids went to (insert nearby city) and had their drinks paid for all night.
I’ll agree men spend more than women on the bachelor/ette party. However once you count in the engagement party, bridal shower, hair, nails, fake tan (because if you can’t tone it, tan it), shoes, jewelry, etc., I still think that bridesmaids pay more than groomsmen.
This is timely, I just started looking into buying a tux now that more and more friends are getting engaged. Where have you guys found quality tuxes? Will, you mentioned finding an inexpensive one.
You’re just begging for him to pitch Man Outfitters to us, aren’t you?
I actually went to a specialty high-end thrift shop in my town. Got a ridiculously nice tux some guy had worn once to the opera for $75. Spent another $75ish getting it tailored for me. $150 for a $5k tux perfectly tailored to me. Look for a similar place around you would be my recommendation.
I’ve said it before, will say it again. Go mid-range at Jos Bank when it’s on sale and take to a quality tailor. DO NOT have Jos Bank do the tailoring, see Johnny D’s suit article the other day.
Currently en route to Biloxi for a weekend of unspeakables
Also, nashvegas is the Bach party equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. Place is crawling with bachelorette parties full of bridesmaids who secretly want more attention than the bride.