At first I was angry about going solo to a wedding – but I had the time of my life

If you’re planning to attend a big social event on your own this summer, Olivia Petter has some recommendations to make the experience one to remember

Do whatever you can to help you feel your best (iStock)

The flights alone were £250. Accommodation for three nights in a three-star hotel: €400. Taxis to and from each venue: €80. Spray tan to ameliorate beauty-related anxieties: £27. Cat sitter fees to ameliorate animal-related anxieties: £200. Last minute subscription to that Calm app to ameliorate the other anxieties: £39.99.

Weddings are expensive endeavours. But no more so than when they’re abroad and you’re single. There was so much to spend before I’d even gone anywhere that, when I was invited to a wedding in France this summer, my first thought was about how much of a toll this was all going to take on my bank balance. The answer, as you can see, is a lot.

Much has been written about the so-called “single tax” in reference to the higher cost of living for single people compared to those with partners. But when you’ve been single for a while, it can be fairly easy to float along in an ocean of denial, cutting back a little with your supermarket shop here, sharing a Netflix subscription with your flatmate there. Then you’re invited to a wedding abroad. And just like that, the tide comes in.