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  • Average Cost Of A Wedding Reception
  • Average Cost Of A Wedding Ring
  • Average Cost Of A Wedding Band
  • Average Cost Of A Wedding Venue
  • Average Cost Of A Wedding Videographer
  • Average Cost Of Wedding Invitations
  • Average Cost Of A Wedding Caterer
  • Average Cost Of Wedding Favors
  • Average Cost Of A Wedding Rehearsal Dinner
  • Average Cost Of Preserving A Wedding Dress
  • Groomsmen Gifts

Average Cost of a Wedding
$28,110

In 2013, the average cost of a U.S. wedding is between $27K-$28K (honeymoon not included). While this number varies by region, season, day of the week and style, it accurately portrays what most planning couples ultimately spend for their big day. This dollar amount is a logical indication and baseline for an average 2012 wedding budget.
Did you know: Nearly 50% of all couples will end up spending more on their celebration than they had originally budgeted for.  Think about that for a moment.  Roughly 2.6 million weddings are performed each year in the U.S. and almost half of them will fail to stick to their intended budget. Knowing what other couples are spending is helpful in creating a realistic financial budget that can successfully be followed.
Weddings By the Numbers
According to TheKnot.com, New York City (Manhattan) couples topped the rankings in 2010 as having the highest average budget ($70,730) of any other U.S. city while Utah has the lowest average spend ($13,214). 
For more basic but in-depth information, check out the infographic below from BridePop that introduces you to all the key concepts you need to know:
cost of a wedding
Only 16% of couples spend more than $30k on their wedding. 
Source:TheWeddingReport
See All Wedding Costs

More Data & Statistics

Below are a few leading resources for bridal statistics that we source when creating our average costs. A majority of that information comes from online websites such as the Bridal Association of America, David's Bridal, TheKnot, SmartMoney, Money.CNN.com, DataMonitor,The Wedding Report, Real Simple, Wedding Directory, Brides.com, USAToday,Wikipedia, Forbes and Mint.com.

Bridal Market Overview
In 1924, Marshall Field’s became the first department store to launch a bridal registry. Ever since then, the bridal business has grown to become a $48 billion industry that continues to grow and thrive. Check out the video below from Mint.com that covers some interesting facts and information on what was once considered a relatively simple affair. 


Mint.com has many more great explainer videos and interesting articles like this here.

Bridal Resources From Around The Web

There are a number of blogs and forums that focus heavily on inspirational topics, including: Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes, Austin Wedding Blog, Junebug Weddings, Rock n' Roll Bride, Offbeat Bride, Bridal Snob, Broke Ass Bride, Ruffled, The Knotty Bride, Once Wed, Wedding Channel, 100 Layer Cake, OneWed, Wedding Chicks, Groom's Advice, Rock My Wedding, Wedding Bee, Style Unveiled, Bridal Tweet, WeddingWire, Project Wedding and Top 100 Wedding Blogs. 

Top Budgeting Articles
Here are a few popular articles about saving money and staying budget savvy:
  • 50 Ways To Save Money on Your Big Day
  • A Planner's Top Tips for Cutting Your Big Day Budget
  • RealSimple: 16 Ways To Save On Bridal Expenses
  • 10 Wedding Budget Costs
  • Alternative Ideas For Big Savings
  • 40 DIY Projects Under $20

Trusted Charities

  • I Do Foundation
  • JustGive.org
  • Brides Against Breast Cancer

Most Influential Wedding People on Twitter

WeFollow.com has put together a real-time list of the most popular bridal pros on twitter. 
See the entire list here.
See All Wedding Costs


2013 WeddingStats.org