Britons Spend GBP10.45 Billion Per Year Attending Weddings

The Average Guest Spends a Total of GBP380 Attending a Wedding

BRADFORD, England, May 7, 2010 - With the wedding season fast approaching, new research by
Santander Cards(1) reveals that the bride and groom aren't the only ones
splashing out on the big day, with the average guest spending an astonishing
GBP380 in the run up to and during the day, equating to a national spend of
GBP10.45 billion.

The biggest outlay that wedding guests face is travel and
accommodation (GBP210), followed by a wedding present (GBP131), outfit and
accessories for the day (GBP123) and the cost of attending the hen or stag do
(GBP114). But incidentals such as other meals and styling come at a price
too:

The research showed that a surprising 19 per cent of wedding guests don't
buy any wedding presents.

When it comes to funding the cost of attending a wedding, 65
per cent of Britons use their salary, 27 per cent rely on savings and 14 per
cent use a credit card. However, four per cent have had to resort to other
means of borrowing to fund the expense of being a wedding guest, with three
per cent borrowing from family or friends, and one per cent using a personal
loan.

Emma Roberts, Director of Santander Cards, commented: "To avoid suffering
a financial hangover long after the wedding festivities have come to an end,
those who have put spending on a credit card should make sure they transfer
their balance to a 0 per cent deal to manage their money as effectively as
possible. The Santander Credit Card, available through branches or over the
telephone, offers 0 per cent on balance transfers for 13 months and has no
balance transfer fee for any of our existing customers with a mortgage,
current account or investment product with us."

According to the research, over a quarter of Britons (26 per cent) have
reduced the amount they spend when attending a wedding as a result of the
economic climate, compared to 70 per cent who say they have maintained
their spending.

The research also found that Britons spend more than twice as
much on a wedding present for a best friend if they have been asked to be the
best man/bridesmaid at an average of GBP165, compared to GBP67 when they
haven't. The average amount Britons spend on a wedding present for a friend
is GBP48, and GBP27 for a colleague.

The information contained in our press releases is intended solely for
journalists and should not be used by consumers to make financial decisions.

Notes to Editors

1) Opinium Research carried out an online poll of 2,026 British adults
from 29th January to 1st February 2010. Results have been weighted to
nationally representative criteria.

About Us

Banco Santander (SAN.MC, STD.N, BNC.LN) is a retail and
commercial bank, based in Spain, with presence in 10 main markets. At the end
of 2008, Santander was the largest bank in the euro zone by market
capitalization and third in the world by profit.

In the UK, Santander operates two retail businesses -
Santander, which was formed out of the Abbey and Bradford & Bingley retail
network, and Alliance & Leicester. Together they have over 1300 branches,
around 4,500 cash machines and they provide a full range of bank accounts
(products.santander.co.uk/bankaccounts.html),
corporate banking services, loans
(products.santander.co.uk/loans.html) and savings products to 25
million customers.

Alliance & Leicester will become known as Santander by the end of 2010.

For more information please visit www.santander.co.uk

Media Enquiries: Lara Lipsey Tel:+44(0)20-7756-4209, Siobhan O'Shea Tel: +44(0)20-7756-4189