A woman has spent £22,000 attending 27 weddings and 14 hen dos - 10 of them abroad - in just a decade.
Just like the character in the film 27 Dresses, Jennie Thomson, 35, has spent a fortune attending 27 weddings in far-flung destinations from Marbella to Disneyland Paris, but says she doesn't regret the expense.
The social media executive from Loughton, east London, says she feels honoured to have been involved in so many nuptials. She has been a bridesmaid seven times.
"I've worked out that I've spent about £500 per event - be that a hen do or wedding. Over 10 years, that's added up to £22,000," Jennie says.
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"There were times when I thought to myself, 'Oh God, I'm spending an awful lot on other people's weddings.' But then I remember what an honour it is to be invited to someone's special day, to catch up with old friends and celebrate.
"Everyone has a period in their lives where it seems like all they do is go to weddings, and yes it's busy, and yes it's expensive - but it's also important to enjoy it as you'll never get it back."
Jennie's decade-long wedding marathon began in 2009, with a hen do in Ibiza followed by the wedding in Bedfordshire. She's since been on hen parties in Amsterdam, Dublin, Marbella, Portsmouth, Cambridge, Bath, Brighton, Nottingham and London.
Most of the weddings have been in the UK, but she has also been to three in France, and even attended a week-long celebration in south Africa in 2018.
Jennie's delight in attending all these expensive hens and weddings contrasts with a survey of just over 2,000 people by Culture Trip, which revealed that 38 percent of respondents had turned down an invitation to a destination wedding, and that 21 percent of people wish it was easier to turn down this kind of invite without offending the couple.
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However, Jennie thinks it's an "honour" to be invited.
"I know £22,000 does sound like a lot to have spent and I can understand why some people may feel like, if they never get married, they may not get that back," she says.
"But at the end of the day, you don't give to receive. I'm happy to spend this money to go and have a fantastic experience sharing a special day with somebody who means a lot to me.
"I think it's important not to get into the politics of weddings and to just focus on all the enjoyment you can get out of them.
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"Yes, the costs can be staggering, but staying in the UK doesn't necessarily make things cheaper than if you go abroad.
"Weddings are an expensive game, but I wouldn't change the amount I've spent for the world."
Featured Image Credit: PA Real Life