Mrs. Toucan, Boston
Age and Occupation: 25, Full-time Research Assistant, Part-time Graduate Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Actuary
Engagement Date: February 18, 2007
Wedding Date: June 7, 2008
Blogging Since: November 07, 2007
Venue: St. Catherine of Genoa, Jin Asian Cuisine Restaurant
About Me: I’m a Gemini to the extreme. On one side, I’m a girly girl. I read countless bridal and fashion magazines, and have an obsession with keeping up with the latest Hollywood gossip. On the other side, I’m a sports fanatic. Despite being a full-time bride-to be, full-time research assistant, and part-time student, I’m also a full-time Red Sox fan from spring training to October, and a full-time Patriots fan from mini-camp to February. I devote almost as much time researching my for fantasy football team as researching for our wedding!
Just Your Average Post
November 29th, 2007 @ 5:05 pm by Mrs. Toucan
I completely stole this off of the Boston Knot Boards awhile ago. I’m not entirely sure how good the facts are - in fact, I’m pretty sure the budget one is wrong, and I’ve added the correct numbers at the bottom.
*The average bride is 25.3 years old.
*The average groom is 26.9 years old.
*The average number of guests is 178.
*99 percent of newlyweds take a honeymoon.
*Approximately 75% of those married lived together first.
*The average budget is $20,000.
It looks like we’re pretty much the average. :/
*I will be slightly older than the average bride, as I will have just turned 26 a week before our wedding!
*Mr. Toucan will be slightly younger than the average groom, since he will also just have turned 26 (he’s 2 weeks older than I am).
*Our original estimate of number of guests, 180, was right around the average, but now, I’m thinking we’ll be closer to 200, and maybe more!
*As for honeymoon, I say ‘YES!’ haha. It’s definitely one of the things I’m looking forward to most about our wedding - who doesn’t need a vacation?!
*Yes. We just moved in together this past June! Before we were engaged, I actually went back and forth on whether we should live together before we are married. I weighed the pros and cons. On one hand, I’m pretty traditional, and thought that maybe by living together, we might lose the excitement of one day getting married. On the other hand, I would see my best friend and favorite person in the world everyday, and we’d make sure we could handle living together before making the big leap. In the end, I decided on a compromise - we’d live together after we got engaged. It’s not that we don’t trust each other, but it’s more a weird moral thing for me, and I needed that level of commitment (I also think that this was easier to explain to my super traditional parents). Anyway, I’m rambling now - point: yes, we live together (and, I love it!).
*hmm… the budget question is interesting, because I’m pretty sure that estimate is too low. So, I looked it up, and found that it’s probably closer to $28,800. Using the same site, the average in the Boston area - $40,900!) So, in a few answers, we will be over the original average, but right around the “real” national average, and way under the Boston average! A little off-topic, but the Cost of Wedding website that I used above might be pretty handy for looking at “normal” wedding spending. After you type in your zip code, you can select different tabs to see average cost of attire, ceremony, flower, photographer, etc.
Anyway, how did you fare? Are you over or under these estimates?
25 Responses to “Just Your Average Post”
I will be 24, I will be turning 25 1 month, 1 week, and 1 day after our wedding. 
He will be 25. So we’re close but both under the average.
Our last guest list count was around 130. I’m hoping it doesn’t go too much higher than that.
We are planning 2 honeymoons right now. We were planning on going to Europe, but then found out FI’s younger brother graduates a week after our wedding so we’re planning a week long trip somewhere and then 2 weeks in Europe.
We will not live together until after the wedding. We both still live at home and are planning on getting an apartment to come home to right after the honeymoon.
Our current budget is around 12,000 which is lower than that posted above and the “real” average, and lower than the $31,970 average for the Salinas, CA area.
I’m younger than the average bride. I’ll be 23.7 or so when we get married.
FH is also slightly younger than the average groom. He’ll be 26.5
As for how many people show up, we’re aiming for between 100-150, so lower than the average.
Definitely going on a honeymoon. DR here we come!
We don’t live together due to a “weird moral thing” and logistics, but we will move into our new place the month before we get married.
Our budget is slightly higher at around $30,000. I’m always a little confused about what the budgets actually include anyway. Honeymoon? Gifts? Who knows?
At the time of our ceremony, I will be below the average age for the bride.
My manmeat will be above the average for the groom.
Our guest list is looking to be about 200.
We will go on a honeymoon.
We lived together first.
Our budget is over that of our local.
Does the average ages include 2nd+ marriages too? Because that could change the average greatly.
We are older, I’ll be 31, he’ll be 33 when we get married.
Guest list is about 180. Honeymoon, check!
We have lived together and our budget is a bit more modest than the local average.
We are definitely not average according to this (or most any other for that matter) poll.
I will be 35 (almost 36) when we marry. Although I was only 20 the first time around.
Bob will be 37. He was 22 at our first wedding.
Our guest list is 22, but we are expecting 18-20.
We WILL be going on a honeymoon. Horray!
We lived together first. Although, didn’t our first time to the alter.
Our budget is falling right around $4000-5000, not including rings. Small for a wedding budget, but large for a dinner party, which is more of what we have in mind.
my answers:
–older
–older
–under on the total # of people who came.
–we took the honeymoon
–yes, but for a few months before
–went over that budget…
I’ll be 24, so younger, and he’ll be 30, so older.
We are inviting about 100 people and expect 50-75 of them to show up, so under.
We will be taking a honeymoon, though we don’t know where, so right with everyone there.
We live together, so with the majority there.
Our budget is in the 18-20k range, so under.
*I’m younger than average
*FI is younger than average
*Less than average amount of guests - 100
*Definitely a HM!!
*We live together - wouldn’t have done things any other way
*About average budget
hello! fellow boston bride here! i’ll be 27 by the time i get married and he’ll be 26. we have invited about 300 guests! yes to the honeymoon, but we need to save up for a good one, so we won’t go for another few months or a year after the wedding. right after the wedding, we’ll take a weekend getaway nearby. our budget is also around the 28,800 mark.
Holy cow, the average where I live (Silicon Valley) is $51,840 according to that site. Insane! Who was going around filling out these surveys with enormous budgets? Vendors full of wishful thinking?
Our budget is closer to $10,000 (not including rings or honeymoon)
- younger (22)
- younger (24)
- we had 125 guests (invited 150)
- took a small honeymoon (to a cabin)
- didn’t live together first
- our wedding cost about half of that figure.
-tiny bit older (i’ll turn 26 the month before)
-about average (he’ll be 26.5)
-we’re inviting around 75-80 guests
-don’t know where we’ll honeymoon yet, but hopefully it will happen!
-have lived together for the last 3 years
-our budget’s definitely under. we’re trying to keep it around $6,000.00 not including honeymoon.
-just a smidge below the average age (~25.2 when I get married)
-a bit below average
-inviting ~210, but aiming for 175-180
-taking a honeymoon
-living together
-budget is near the local average
Looks like I’m pretty darn average.
We’ll both be 28 (he’ll be exactly 1 month away from his 29th birthday). So old!
We’ll have around 250 guests.
DEFINITELY taking a honeymoon! Although a lot of people I know didn’t so that average seems a little high.
By the time we get married we’ll have lived together for 2 years. (Not counting the 4 years he basically lived in my apartment before that!)
We are going to be way over the average budget!!!
When we get married in 86 days I’ll be 28 he’ll be 32, above average
Well have around 100 guests, so below average
Maui here we come!
We moved in together after we got engaged a year and a half ago:)
our wedding and hunnymoon is comming in around $12, 000, in our area it says 29,00 but we are getting married in the off season and I have gotten great deals!
I’ll be 27, almost 28 and he’ll be just 29, so a little older than average.
We’re invited 200 and hoping for 150-160.
We’re taking a honeymoon right after the wedding.
Living together before, but didn’t move in together until after the engagement.
Looking at a wedding budget right around the $28,800 mark.
I guess for the most part we’re in the average range…
I was 23.5, he was 26.2
We had about 205 guests
We honeymooned right after our wedding
We lived together for 4 years before marriage
Our wedding budget (not including honeymoon and rings) was about 15,000$CDN
Ooh this is fun! My theme is “under”:
-Under, I’ll be 24.8.
-Under, he’ll be 25.4.
-Under, 100-140.
-No honeymoon, at least not right away.. we want to go to Paris.
-Ah, I fit in.. we’ve been living together for over two years.
-Unnnnder. I won’t get into details.
Here’s my stats: (almost average)
- over: I’ll be 26 and 3 month,
- under: He’ll be 4 days away from 26.
- under: 115 to 130
- no planned honeymoon, because of time constraints, we hope to take one later in the year.
- my morals went done the drain because of convience we’ve been living together 5+ years
- after everything we’ll probably be about $22K to $25K CDN.
My two cents:
* Over: I’ll be 28 (2 months shy of 29)
*Over: He’ll be 1 week shy of 36 (I guess he’s over by a decade but most of his male friends are not married yet so what’s in the avg?)
*Guest = Under: Only because of hotel restrictions and b/c it’s a destination thing so about 110 (but we’ll have another banquet at home so it might be Over).
* Honeymoon: Oh Yeah! About a month after the wedding.
*Do we live together? Hmm… technically I say no. But I stay at his place about 5-6 nights of the week.
*Our budget is close to the average both locally and at our destination.
We were below average on all but the honeymoon.
My husband and I were both 23 when we got married this September.
We invited just 127 guests.
We didn’t live together before we were married.
And our budget was $10,000. I’m not sure how much was actually spent, as our parents paid for the wedding.
Our ages are above the national average, but I also read somewhere that the NY average age is higher than the national average.
Our original budget was just slightly above the average in our area, but it has since gone up, along with our guestlist, which is now at 310!
I love reading statistics like this! And reading the reader’s responses makes it all the more interesting. Great post, Miss Toucan!
*I’ll be 24 when we’re married- so younger.
*He’ll be 36- so older.
*Our guestes will be no more than 100.
*We will definitely be taking a honeymoon!
*We each own a home, but we basically already live together- we just split our time between our houses.
*We’re wanting to spend no more than $15,000 & the average for my area is more than double that, so we’re definitely below that! 
99% of those who answered the poll on Boston Knot boards take a honeymoon. I highly doubt that 99% of all marrying couples take a honeymoon. That’s a HUGE percentage…
