The summer wedding season is fast approaching. When you’re invited to more than one wedding in the summer (not to mention a slew of graduation parties), your budget can take a beating. It’s estimated that guests alone will spend $500 to attend one these days (and that figure doesn’t even include plane tickets, according to “For Richer or Poorer,” Mother Jones, (Jan./Feb. 2005). Bridesmaids can plan on spending up to $1,400 to be apart of a friend’s big day, according to TheKnot.com. Getting together a game plan before the wedding season kicks off will ease the strain on your wallet and your stress levels.

Surviving the Wedding Season