Wedding invitations land with a £0 price tag and arrive with a hidden one attached. Most UK weddings cost guests somewhere between £300 and £700 once you've added the dress or suit, the gift, the train, the hotel, the hen or stag do, and the various rounds you'll buy along the way. The number isn't outrageous individually - it's just that nobody lays it out in advance. Here's the honest line-by-line so the next invite doesn't surprise you in May.
The outfit (£50-300)
The lower end if you already own a dress or suit that works, the upper end if it's a destination wedding or a black-tie do that genuinely requires new tailoring. Most guests land at £100-150 - a new dress from Reformation or a Charles Tyrwhitt shirt + trousers + tie combination. If you're a regular wedding-goer, rotating two or three outfits is the cheapest move; renting (HURR, By Rotation) is the second cheapest if you want something new each time.
The gift (£50-150 per person, £100-250 per couple)
UK wedding guest etiquette in 2026 has settled on cash or registry contributions over physical gifts. £50 per single guest is the floor (you'd spend that on dinner together anyway). £100 per single guest at a close friend's wedding is generous-not-extravagant. Couples typically give £150-250 combined. If there's an honest cash request ("contribute to our honeymoon fund"), that's the number to use - guessing makes it harder, not easier.
Travel and hotel (£0-300)
The big swing. A local wedding where you can drive home is £0. A wedding in another UK city is £50-100 for trains plus £80-150 a night for a hotel near the venue (which is always more expensive than booking the same hotel two weeks earlier). A destination wedding abroad - even a low-key Portugal or Italy weekender - is £400-800 once flights and accommodation are in. Worth asking the couple early if there's a room block discount; many venues hold rooms at a guest rate that disappears after a deadline.
The hen or stag (£100-500)
The line you didn't budget for. A modest UK weekender (Edinburgh, Brighton, Bristol) lands at £150-250 per attendee. A bigger trip (Lisbon, Krakow, Dublin) is £300-500. The honest mover here is whether the maid of honour or best man rounds the activities up to 'memorable' tier or keeps it 'fun but reasonable.' If you're being invited to multiple hens in one year, set a per-event cap with yourself before the group chat starts.
On-the-day extras (£40-100)
Drinks between the reception and the evening (£20-40). A round at the late-night bar (£15-30). Breakfast at the hotel before the train home (£20). A cab to the station because you've missed the shuttle (£15). Nobody mentions these in advance; they always happen. Worth holding back ~£60 in cash float so you're not surprised.
How to track it without resenting the bride
Start a EvenRound group called 'Wedding season 2026' the moment you accept the invite. Log the dress, the train tickets, the hotel deposit, your hen contribution. By the time you're at the wedding you have a single number: the actual cost. The point isn't to be ungenerous - it's to know what you're committing to so you can say yes (or no) honestly. Especially useful if you're attending three weddings in one summer.
Most UK weddings cost guests £350-550 all-in once you're honest about the line items. Destination weddings are £700-1200. Knowing the number doesn't change whether you go - it just changes whether you're surprised by your June bank statement. Track it as you go; settle it with yourself, not the couple.