The cost of weddings is on the rise, guest lists are shrinking and creativity is soaring. Kevin Broady takes a closer look at the newest numbers behind The Big Day.
Weddings are ideally a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of love, so brides and grooms are often willing to spend a small fortune in order to make it memorable. According to online wedding-planning serviceTheKnot.com, the average American wedding costs over $25,000, though many are significantly more expensive.
Flowers, dresses, tuxedos, food and rings can all rack up a large bill for the families of the couple, or the couple themselves and that's not counting the bill from wedding planners hired to make everything move smoothly. While weddings can be costly anywhere, the amount Americans spend on nuptials varies from one state to the next. Here, a look at the spending that goes into a trip down the aisle.
2017 Average National Wedding Budget Breakdown
Overall Wedding: $33391
Venue: $15163
Photographer: $2630
Wedding/Event Planner: $1988
Reception Band: $4019
Reception DJ: $1231
Florist/Décor: $2379
Videographer: $1912
Wedding Dress: $1509
Ceremony Site: $2311
Ceremony Musicians: $761
Invitations: $408
Transportation: $830
Favors: $252
Rehearsal Dinner: $1295
Engagement Ring: $5764
Catering (price per person): $70
Officiant: $284
Top 2017 Wedding Statistics
Average Marrying Age: Bride, 29.2; Groom, 30.9
Average Number of Guests: 136
Average Number of Bridesmaids: 5
Average Number of Groomsmen: 5
Most Popular Month to Get Engaged: December
Average Length of Engagement: 14.0 months
Percentage of Destination Weddings: 25%
And the bridesmaids wore….
The most popular wedding colors:
Ivory/Champagne: 37%
Dark Blue: 32%
Gold: 30%)
Setting the Date
The perennially popular June wedding is getting edged out by a new favorite season. The most popular months to get married:
September: 16%
June: 15%
October: 14%
Getting Hitched in Kentucky
There were 32,135 weddings in our state in 2017. Here’s the breakdown of the average budget:
Cost of a typical wedding: $18,222
Average dress cost: $1,104
Average ring cost: $2,994
Average household Income: $44,811
Getting Hitched Across the River
There were 45,705 weddings in Indiana in 2017. Here’s the breakdown of the average budget:
Cost of a typical wedding: $22,090
Average Dress cost: $1,107
Average ring cost: $3,130
Average Household Income: $50,433
What’s in and out in Wedding Trends
These statistics show which trends are spiking and which are sinking:
Formal/black-tie weddings: -16%
Ceremonies hosted in a religious institution: -22%
Outdoor ceremonies +52% (as couples look for more unique, unconventional venues)
Farms, barns and ranch reception venues: +15%
Historic homes: +14%
Banquet halls, hotels, resorts and country clubs: -17%
Brides doing a bouquet toss: -53%
Grooms doing a garter toss: -41%
Couples doing a cake cutting: -88%
There’s an App for That
For today’s busy couples, more wedding planning is happening on smart phones. The use of mobile phones for wedding planning activities increased 92%. Here’s a look at the most popular smartphone wedding planning activities:
Browsing for a wedding gown: +65%
Researching wedding vendors: +54%
Using online planning tools: +48%
Creating a personal wedding website: +31%
Online RSVP service: +28%
THE GUEST EXPERIENCE
Couples continue to focus on creating an incredible guest experience, with 72% saying it was very important their guests were entertained at their wedding. Here, some of the interesting ways they’re catering to their guests’ needs and creating a more couture event:
Average number of wedding guests: down to 136
Cost per wedding guest: up to $268
Custom guest entertainment: increased from 11% to 40%
photo booths: +69%
sparklers: +24%
selfie stations or video booths: +22%
games: +19%
candy bars: +13%
bonfires: +12%
musical performances: +12%
On the rise are fireworks, dance performers, cigar rolling stations, wine and liquor tastings and magicians.
KEEPING THE FAITH
21%of couples incorporated cultural elements into their wedding. Examples include Chinese tea ceremony; flamenco guitarist; Irish step dancers and bagpipers; ceremonial readings in Italian and Polish; traditional Jewish hora dance; Moroccan belly dancers; Hawaiian lei exchanges; a reading from a Lebanese poet; traditional Hindu ceremony; 1,000 Japanese paper cranes for décor; Persian honey ceremony; African-American jumping the broom tradition; Cuban cigar rolling station; and more. (Note: This could be designed as a list.)
Happily Ever Hashtags
Couples are using social media more than ever to tell their personal story from the moment they get engaged.
38% of couples shared photos and details on social media within minutes or hours of their engagement
64% created a custom wedding hashtag and shared it with guests on their personal wedding website
18% created a wedding invite
18% used save-the-dates
16% created a ceremony program
23% created a custom Snapchat filter
10% had drones capture footage from above
9% had a photo-sharing app for guests to upload photos into one place
45% of couples shared wedding photos and details on social media
48% updated their relationship status to “married” on Facebook.
Statistics from the 2017 survey by TheKnot.com, an online wedding-planning service.
