Watch out women, men are investing more than ever when it comes to being wedding guests. Who would have thought it!
The survey of 1,000 adults, conducted by the Post Office gift card One4all, shows that men are catching up to women when it comes to keeping up appearances as 32% of men confess to spending over three hours preparing for a wedding.
Men are now almost matching women pound for pound when it comes to all those wedding guest duties too, spending an average of £166.36 on a combination of outfits, grooming and gifts – just £6 less than ladies!
In addition to being an occasion to celebrate the union of loved ones, more than 40% of UK men now consider weddings an opportunity to communicate their achievements and status, and maybe pick up a new romantic partner in doing so. But the survey found 1 in 4 men feel under pressure to appear successful to other wedding guests, with 40% admitting to feeling inadequate compared to them!
Get the look
It’s in this bid to appear successful that is making men invest more time and money in appearing so – 56% have invested in a new suit to attend a wedding, and more than half have spent money on grooming treatments, like a new hairstyle, a professional shave or even a spray tan.
And it’s not all about the personal appearance either; 1 in 2 men admit to having had their car washed before a wedding, and 7% confess to hiring a car to drive to the venue rather than take their own!
Generous gifts
Men are also willing to splash their cash more on wedding gifts for the newlyweds. The research found that the average man spends £56 when gifting the happy couple – that’s £16 more than women!
In fact, they’re also more paranoid when it comes to appearing stingy, believing around £34 is the absolute minimum to spend on a gift without appearing cheap, compared with a bit of £30 for women. Why? Well, 39% of men admit they have spent more than they wanted to on a gift just to look more successful.
Aoife Davey, Group Marketing Manager at One4all, said: “The research has uncovered some interesting findings, especially surrounding men and the time, money and effort they’re investing when it comes to being wedding guests.
“In particular, the fact that 42% of men see weddings as an opportunity to meet new people compared to 34% of women is fascinating. It would appear that men are becoming more gregarious, and willing to put themselves out there socially.
“As with high school or college reunions, there’s always a sense of competition at weddings when it comes to sharing achievements or success stories.
“It’s understandable that men may feel inadequate or feel the need to appear more successful in front of family and friends, hence the lengths they are going to when it comes down to their appearance and generosity. All of this combined makes for a totally modern male wedding guest.”
Love is in the air
It seems weddings aren’t just seen as a celebration of love between the newlyweds, but also a chance to find love. Men aren’t just looking to impress friends and family now; weddings are also a playground for eligible bachelors in the UK. 1 in 5 (18%) males see a wedding as an opportunity to meet new partners or dates.
Many are being inspired by the love in the air, as 1 in 4 (24%) confessed to having kissed or had a one night stand with someone they’d met at a wedding. But it’s not just casual hookups, with 1 in 10 having met a future partner or someone they’d in fact later marry at a wedding!
The One4all gift card is available to buy from Post Offices nationwide and online at www.one4allgiftcard.co.uk, and can be spent in more than 22,000 stores across the UK.
