Getting married is an expensive affair, even when you are only a guest. New research from CreditExpert.co.uk has found that 1.6 million people - 6% of us - have actually gone into debt in order to attend a wedding.

The trend for overseas ceremonies and stag and hen parties has added to the cost, with 44% of the guests at an exotic wedding filled with resentment at having to be there and only going along because they feel pressured.

The cost

But even when the celebrations are held locally, the price of attendance can be high, at an average of £386. Stag and hen parties account for the largest chunk of this sum, at £130, with a wedding gift costing £70, clothes £64, travel £49, accommodation £48 and drinks £26.

No wonder that 16% of us resent the amount we have to spend to attend and a further 13% - one in seven people - refuse to go to some weddings because they simply cost too much. These feelings are perhaps explained by the finding that 45% of guests are put under pressure to attend by their family and friends, while 20% say they are made to go to the weddings of people they don't know.

The most high-spending wedding guests are Londoners. 3% of people from the capital spend between £400 and £500 on a wedding present and almost one in ten fork out more than £300 on an outfit.

When it comes to buying drinks, nobody can keep up with the Scots - 6% of them spent between £100 and £200 on liquid refreshments at the last wedding they attended.

"Financial stress"

"Weddings are a time to celebrate but it's clear that people are increasing their financial stress and spending money they don't have simply in order to be there," says Jim Hodgkins, Managing Director of CreditExpert, the credit monitoring and identity fraud protection service from Experian.

"The cost of getting married and attending other people's weddings is often underestimated, but it's a significant outlay that often hits hardest those who are first time property buyers or those still burdened by student debt. As a result, attending lots of weddings in a short space of time can mean your credit rating is adversely affected.

"If you monitor your spending and credit status with a service such as CreditExpert, you'll find it easier to know what you can afford and when you're in danger of being carried away."

Get a picture of what you owe and your current credit status by checking your free Experian credit report.