How well would you have to know someone before you spend $1200 ...

[Winka]

...to attend their wedding?

A friend of my fiance's is getting married...we have met them as a couple only once. We, my fiance and I, are both just out of grad school and don't necessarily have the $1200 it would cost to fly out, stay one night (not exactly a destination wedding so can't really justify the expense by calling it a mini-vaca for us) as well as the other travel incidentals, not to mention a gift.

I am assuming the invitation was simply meant as a polite gesture to my fiance, as the groom and he are old college friends.

It would be great if we had the money and time but both those comomodities seem a bit too dear to spare at the moment...most likely, in this scenario, we will send a card of congratulations along with a small gift off the registry.


EDITED: Just to clarify- $1200 combined, not per person.

 

[Pop Daddy]

charge it

 

[Serena]

For that kind of money? My very best friend or my sister.

 

[gymnasticsmom68]

I would send a nice gift and that would probably be it.

 

[TLinden16]

I have only travelled for two weddings, and both were for cousins. They were in Arizona and Las Vegas, and we made vacations out of the trips.

Karen

 

[browneyes]

It sounds like a polite gesture to me too. I'm sure they'd understand that you couldn't attend.

I think I'm one of the few women that procrastinate attending weddings.

 

[KristaTX]

I'd only spend that much if it could be combined with a vacation. Doesn't sound like that's an option, though. I seriously doubt they expect you to attend if you live $1200 away.

Krista

 

[buzzlady]

I would agree that it was a polite gesture.

 

[Rajah]

Only for a very good friend, family member I care for, or to combine it with a vacation

 

[catsrule]

My brother got invited to a wedding in Egypt years ago. One of his navy buddies married an Egyptian general's daughter. He didn't go.

 

[ScarlettO]

Now Youv'e got me curious. Let's ay the hotel cost $150...gift $100...that leaves about $900 divided by 2-where does this wedding take place that would cost $450 per person to fly to?

 

[Winka]

It just seems like so many people I know *do* in fact fly across the country for every good friend they had in grad school/college or wherever who happens to be getting married...just wondering if there was a trend out there of far-flung weddings becoming more commonplace as people beome more mobile and spread-out...

 

[Winka]

ScarlettO...current airfares to this place in the southwest from the NorthEast are just over $400...then airport transfers and other incidentals...

 

[katerkat]

I fly a lot for weddings - Kansas for friends, Oklahoma for my sorority sister, home for my college roommate, home for my cousin. We're moving to Washington State, and I'm *in* four weddings next summer on the East Coast. (I asked them to arrange one each weekend so I could just stay for a month. ) However, DH has yet to be able to come with me, and if we were paying for both of our tickets.... And since I'm single that weekend, I usually share a room with another single friend to cut down on the cost.

 

[DocRafiki]

IN FOUR WEDDINGS?

 

[katerkat]

I didn't ask them to all get married next summer!! But it's my sister, my sister-in-law, my bestest friend ever, and my sorority little sister. You'd think they could have planned this better for ME!

 

[battricia]

Does your fiance` want to go? Maybe he could go by himself, that would be 400 dollars or so less, if that's the airfare cost. Also he could stay in a cheap hotel rather than the one that's holding the wedding? Where exactly is the wedding if you don't mind telling us?


tricia.

 

[Winka]

Lake Tahoe...I was a little shy of saying where but what're the odds that even if they did read here, they'd know I was talking about their wedding specifically?

We are considering just having him go alone, actually..and four weddings! Don'cha love wedding season?

 

[disykat]

I wouldn't go unless they were close family or best friends. When we got married we sent invitations to many people we knew probably wouldn't be able to come. I never even considered not inviting them. Many of our relatives and friends would have been hurt if they hadn't been invited. An invitation is not an obligation.

We did not have them invited to showers etc., but the wedding itself they were invited to. Mainly because we wanted them to know we would have loved to have them there to share our special day - it was more like an announcement except they were actually invited if they were able to come.

 

[robsmom]

If I remember correctly my parents had 9 weddings one "season" and 3 or 4 where not local. It was very expensive for them. They were all events that they wanted to go and the out of town ones they did us a mini-vacations/reunions. If I recall the out of town one's included my best friend, the son of an old dear friend, my mom's cousin's daughter and I think one of my Dad's cousins.

I have gone out of town for 3 weddings. They were close college friends and only one was flying. That one was in the Florida Keys so it really was a mini-vacation.