They say you can’t put a price on friendship – and for one devoted bride-to-be that mantra has meant spending a staggering £16,600 attending her friends’ weddings.
In the space of three years Becki Wainwright, 26, from Ipswich, has splashed out enough for a house deposit on wedding gifts, travel, outfits and hotels all to watch her best pals tie the knot.
She has gone up and down the country as well as abroad, and by Christmas will have attended 20 different ceremonies – with the most expensive being an Ibiza trip costing £3,000 and the cheapest at £60.
But for Becki, who has a budget of £15,000 for her own nuptials to fiancé Craig Byam next year, insists she wouldn’t have it any other way, saying: ‘Every penny has been well worth it.’
Becki Wainwright, 26, and her fiancé Craig Byam have spent a staggering £16,600 attending their friends’ weddings
The marketing specialist and her construction worker boyfriend, 31, totted up that they had spent £6,000 on hen do’s, £5,000 on accommodation, £3,000 on travel, £1,000 on gifts, £800 on outfits and £800 on alcohol and other extras.
The string of spending started in 2016 when Becki attended an incredible 12 weddings and seven hens in one season – meaning virtually every weekend that summer was booked.
But while guests across the country can expect a summer of splurging as the average cost of attending a wedding is now £266 – Becki insists every penny has been well spent.
Even if it means her own pending nuptials next summer will have a budget that is £2,000 less than the total sum she has forked out for other people’s celebrations.
Becki said: ‘I was shocked when I sat down and did the sums.
One of the most expensive trips was a wedding to Ibiza which cost £3,000 for a weeks holiday in the sun
By Christmas Becki (second row, second from left) will have attended 20 weddings since 2016
‘I’m still amazed the total in three years spent on hens and weddings will be nearly £17,000. That’s enough for a new car plus a couple of luxury holidays.
‘Some people will think that’s a crazy amount to spend on other people’s weddings.
‘Not me – every penny has been well worth it.’
She added: ‘I adore my friends and family and would spend whatever it took to share the most important day of their lives with them.’
Becki and Craig, who both earn average salaries, own their own home and have no children, can’t pinpoint how they managed to cover the hefty sum.
She said it has been worth every penny being able to support her friends and enjoy time away
The couple have also jetted to Cyrpus as well as travelled all over the UK attending ceremonies as guests
‘We always found the money somehow,’ Becki explained. ‘With a lot of these things you pay in advance, so our expenses were staggered. We genuinely had no idea the final tally would be so much.
‘If you add up Craig’s stag dos, the total figure is even higher. The way I look at it is we got lots of fun nights out with the people we love, and weekend getaways.
‘I don’t see why people get negative about the cost of attending weddings – it’s pure fun.
‘For us, somehow it turned out loads of people we know started settling down at exactly the same time.’
Becki’s wedding adventures have taken her from Brighton to Liverpool and Edinburgh to Ibiza.
She totted up that they had spent £6,000 on hen do’s, £5,000 on accommodation, £3,000 on travel, £1,000 on gifts, £800 on outfits and £800 on alcohol and other extras
Becki has spent hundreds on new outfits for each wedding and says any time her friend need a new dress they just check her wardrobe
One of Becki’s most expensive hen dos was in Brighton which came to a whopping £500 in 2016
She and Craig have travelled to Cyprus and will venture to Marbella this September for another wedding.
There have been quaint countryside soirees and ultra-glam urban affairs.
She said: ‘One of the most fun weddings was a destination one in Ibiza. It cost almost £3,000 but I didn’t mind as we got a fantastic week holiday. ‘
Two of the cheapest weddings cost just £60 as they were down the road from where Becki lives with Craig in the home they own in Ipswich, Suffolk.
That’s over £400 cheaper than her most expensive hen weekend of 2016 in Brighton, which cost £500.
It’s also the average cost Becki spent on six new dresses for all the ceremonies that year.
She said: ‘Of course, I like to have a nice outfit. Craig can get away with using the same suit and just mixing things up with a different shirt and tie.
Attending so many weddings has meant that Becki is well-prepared for her own which is next year
She will marry her fiancé Craig next July in a rustic converted Tudor barn in Suffolk with afternoon tea – which will mark her 33rd wedding ceremony
By next summer she will have been on 17 hen dos and said that she has ‘learned a lot’ from attending so many nuptials
‘Now if any of my friends need a dress for a wedding, they head to my closet.’
Before 2016, Becki had attended a total of just nine weddings in her lifetime.
There was a bit of a break in 2017 with just three weddings, followed by five more this year.
When she walks down the aisle in July of next year, it will mark Becki’s 33rd wedding as well as 17 hen dos.
Becki said: ‘We’ve been able to learn a lot from going to so many weddings.
‘The number one thing we’ve come away with is money doesn’t matter. We’ve had a fantastic time as guests whether the budget £5,000 or £50,000.
‘The most important thing really is that you are surrounded by people you love.’
So far Becki’s dedication seems to have paid off as an impressive 34 friends and relatives have already committed to her surprise holiday hen do next May.
Her dedication has paid off as 34 people have confirmed to attend her surprise holiday hen do next May
Becki and Craig have budgeted £15,000 for their own wedding but said it was a shock learning how much they had spent on others
A hundred guests are invited to the wedding ceremony with an additional 120 in the evening.
She and Craig will wed in a rustic converted Tudor barn in Suffolk with afternoon tea instead of a big meal, followed by a band they love and plenty of beverages.
But while they are both satisfied limiting their budget to a sensible £15,000, Becki admits it’s a bit of a sting when they consider all they could have bought for themselves.
She added: ‘I understand it might be difficult for other people to spend as much as we have been able to attending other people’s weddings.
‘We’re lucky. We don’t have children. We’ve got our house. We both work full time.
‘I don’t think anyone should ever feel pressure to attend a hen or wedding if they don’t have the cash.
‘I would understand if someone opted out for that reason. And if you can’t afford a gift, your presence will honestly do just fine.’