First_Loves had an interesting link to the average cost of weddings by zip code on her site. I don’t know how accurate it is, but I put in my home zip code and it gave me an average cost of $80,132 excluding honeymoon, engagement ring, and wedding planner. Including that it says the average can be as high as $106,247. I know New York weddings are expensive but I didn’t spend nearly that much!
Here are some more wedding statistics from Hallmark:
Weddings by the Numbers
- For the past 20 years, 2.25 million to 2.40 million weddings take place each year in the United States, a third of them remarriages.
- Most brides (30 percent) plan their weddings for 7 to 12 months.
- An average of 189 guests attends a wedding.
- The average cost of a wedding is $20,000 to $25,000.
- 48 percent of Hallmark wedding cards are sold during summer months (May through August).
The Most
- Most (85 percent) weddings are held in a church or synagogue.
- More than half of all weddings take place in the afternoon.
- Hawaii is the favorite honeymoon destination.
- Most (about 75 percent) first-time brides will receive a diamond engagement ring (67 percent of repeat brides).
- A third of men’s wedding rings have diamonds.
June and August Wedding Favorites
- August is the top month for weddings (10.2 percent) and June is second (9.9 percent).
- While June typically has been regarded as the month for weddings, more weddings have been in August in the past decade than in June, including the past three years.
Today’s Bride Is Older and Wiser
- The average engagement is 16 months (up from 11 months in 1990) and the average ring costs $2,000.
- The average first-time bride was 22 in 1980, 25 in 1990, and 25.1 today.
- The average age of remarrying brides was 32 in 1980, 35 in 1990, and 34 in 2000.
- The average age of the first-time groom is 26.8 and 37+ for the remarrying groom.
- Four out of five brides are employed.
- Money is the most-desired wedding gift.
Till When Do Us Part
- About 50 percent of marriages end in divorce.
- Half of all adults in the United States are married.
- More than 4.2 million unmarried couples live together.
- 59 percent of brides under 18 are separated or divorced within 15 years.
Wedding Trends
- Wedding ceremonies in unusual venues
- museums, zoos, gardens, etc.
- Black-and-white photojournalism-style pictures.
- Wedding consultants to direct the event.
- More platinum rings.
- Couples showers.
- Professionally-produced videos to be played at receptions.
- Focus on guests having fun: novel floral arrangements; more elegant foods, wines, cakes; focus on detail
- parking, favors, maps, etc.
- Honeymoon registry.
- Longer, more elaborate, exotic honeymoons.
Comprehensive wedding statistics according to each state here.
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