The Price Of A Destination Wedding...

I love going to destination weddings, but let's face it- although they're tons of fun- they're also typically a pricey proposition for a guest.

Our friend Secily just found out her college roommate is getting married at a resort in Bermuda over Fourth of July weekend. It's a smallish wedding and the bride is so excited for Secily and her boyfriend to finally meet her husband to be. Of course, Secily would love to be there for her dear friends big day, but the bride has only given her guests a couple of months notice to financially and logistically plan for her Caribbean nuptials.

The truth is, although Secily can afford to go to the wedding, she and her boyfriend are saving to buy a house this Fall. It would be a financial stretch for both of them to attend the wedding, and Secily is uncomfortable going alone. To make matters more complicated, her boyfriend has already casually invited some friends from New York to their Boston apartment for July 4th weekend.

Secily calculated the the costs of a peak season Bermuda get away, and concluded that attending her friend's wedding would put a dent in her down payment plans- not to mention feeling bad having to cancel on her own guests. But when Secily told her friend that they wouldn't be able to make it, her friend got extremely upset and told her that she would never in a million years miss Secily's wedding- no matter the price! Secily was stunned…

Is Secily being cheap or frugal by not attending her friend's wedding? Is she wrong to jeopardize her friendship for the sake of saving money? Should she consider a middle ground solution and just go alone? Or do think it's presumptuous of the bride to assume that her friend can afford such an expensive last minute trip? How do you feel when you're invited to a destination wedding? What is the proper expectations to have of your guests if you yourself are planning a destination wedding? Should close friends feel obligated to attend- no matter the cost? Tell us what you think at FabandFru.com!