While the average cost of weddings have steadily gone up over the past several years, a new survey from The Knot shows that 2017 had a few surprises up it’s wedding dress sleeve (because, you know, wedding dresses with sleeves are totally in right now).
According to over 13,000 couples who got married last year, the average cost of a wedding in 2017 was $33,391, which is down from $35,329 in 2016. So why is it cheaper?
Well, there’s a few reasons. First, couples are looking to have less formal weddings. Black tie? Nope, not so much. They’re also booking wedding venues that are non-traditional (and probably less expensive) such as barns, museums, and parks.
And even though couples are spending MORE money per guest ($268/each), they are actually inviting less people. Which means they get to really do it up without going over-budget (something we love).
There are also couples who are spending more than $60,000 on their wedding. Couples who fall into that category (which this study refers to as “high spenders”) are spending an average of $105,130 on their wedding day.
Want to see where it’s all going? Here’s a wedding cost breakdown of how the average spend is adding up. Note that the second (higher) number is the average couples in the “high spenders” category mentioned above are spending. Where do you fall on this list?
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Overall Wedding (with ring, excluding honeymoon)
- $33,391
- $105,130
Venue (reception hall)
- $15,163
- $42,801
Photographer
- $2,630
- $5,130
Wedding/Event Planner
- $1,988
- $3,775
Reception Band
- $4,019
- $7,145
Reception DJ
- $1,231
- $2,300
Florist/Décor
- $2,379
- $6,050
Videographer
- $1,912
- $3,214
Wedding Dress
- $1,509
- $3,158
Groom’s Attire and Accessories
- $286
- $463
Wedding Cake
- $540
- $1,097
Ceremony Site
- $2,311
- $2,966
Ceremony Musicians
- $761
- $1,249
Invitations
- $408
- $1,098
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Transportation
- $830
- $1,388
Favors
- $252
- $488
Rehearsal Dinner
- $1,285
- $3,197
Engagement Ring
- $5,764
- $13,933
Catering (price per person)
- $70
- $154
Officiant
- $284
- $491
