Empty wallet

Ever heard of “wedding sprawl”? It’s a phenomenon that The Atlantic describes this way: “as couples strive to keep up with cultural perceptions and their friends’ lives, they can end up putting financial and logistical strain on their guests”.

And according to the Financial Times, “friendflation” – the rising cost of celebrating your mates – is on the up too.

They point out that the average cost of attending a wedding has risen to £450, while the mean price of attending a hen or stag weekend in the UK is a whopping £779.

Now, new stats suggest an even bleaker state of affairs: it seems simply maintaining close friendships sets women back £2,414 a year on average. For men, it’s £2,994.

Why has friendship gotten so expensive?

In this research,

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