Here's what it costs to be a bridesmaid: Report

Wedding season is here. Brides and grooms are saying "I Do", while bridesmaids are saying "I Don't"? 

Experts say yes.

The cost of being a bridesmaid

According to recent data from the Knot, the average cost of being a bridesmaid is about $1900, causing many to want to say "I Don't".

"Nothing surprises me, especially in this world that we're in where everything's photographed. Everyone's looking at me. You know, my big day," Zaslow said.

Relationship expert Lori Zaslow says to be honest from the start and decline with grace.

"Always lead with I appreciate and feel so honored you're asking me, you know, to be a bridesmaid. But, I have to decline because everything you guys are doing is not my budget," Zaslow said. 

Wedding expenses 

According to a 2019 Lending Tree survey, a third of people who were part of a bridal party went into debt to cover all the related expenses.

FILE - A woman tries on a wedding dress at Bridal Reflections Bridal Salon in New York.  (Reece T. Williams/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

"There's people I know that have like $5,000 on their credit cards specifically reserved for weddings. And it's unfortunate that they're putting themselves into that debt. Just because they want to be able to do this for their friend," self-anointed certified bridesmaid Heather said.

Heather, a New Jersey native, has been in 7 weddings and knows all too well how fast things can add up and the importance of showing up for loved ones.

"The lowest costing one as a whole was about $1,200. And that was the one when I was 25. And as I've gotten older, the prices I've noticed have sort of been going up and up and up," Heather said.

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Bridesmaid burnout is "real"

"Of course, bridesmaids play such an important role for the bride, not only for emotional support, but throughout the years of friendship and especially leading up to such an important day," CEO of SJS Events Sonal Shah said.

Shah said from all the pre-wedding events to the event itself, bridesmaid burnout is a real thing and understandable. 

"There's so much financial responsibility, there's so much emotional responsibility. And then also just trying to juggle not only their personal lives and careers, but also sometimes people are bridesmaids at five and six different weddings in a summer, which is really, really hard," Shah said.

How much do guests spend on attending a wedding?

The Knot also found that wedding guests in 2023 spent an average of $580 just to attend a wedding. 

"If you're going to be saying yes, say yes to those who you could see doing this for you actually in the future. And if not, if you can't see 'em ever doing this for you in return, then I would say maybe skip out on it," Heather said.

"A lot of times we see these really large bridal parties of 13, 14, 15 girls, but there's only one or two girls that are actually doing the work. So I think that it's really important to also nail down what everybody's responsibilities are leading up to the day of," Shah said.

Don't forget, Zaslow said 60% of marriages don't work out.