Holy Matrimony! What it Costs to Get Married

Bye, bye budget brides? Couples spent an average of $27,021 on their weddings in 2011, though 20% spent more than $30,000 and 11% spent more than $40,000.* *All figures are averages and come from TheKnot.com’s 2011 Real Weddings Survey of 18,000 U.S. brides.

Engagement Ring In 2011: $5,130* In 2010: $5,392 It's no surprise that buying an engagement ring is a major wedding-related expense. Interestingly enough, the length of time between getting engaged and getting married varies by region: Brides in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania averaged 16-month engagements in 2011 while those in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi averaged 12-month engagements. *The total for each category includes only respondents who purchased that particular product/service; the average wedding spend ($27,021) was calculated separately, using responses from all respondents.

Reception Venue In 2011: $12,116 In 2010: 12,124 A big slice of the average couple’s 2011 wedding budget went to securing a venue, though that overall budget size was vastly different depending on where you look: Couples in New York City spent an average of $65,824 on their weddings, while those in Virginia spent $14,203.

Ceremony Site In 2011: $1,599 In 2010: $1,393 Securing a space to walk down the aisle is another piece of the wedding pie. Couples spent slightly more on their ceremony sites in 2011 than they did in 2010.

Photographer and Videographer In 2011: $3,785 In 2010: $3,783 Couples spent an average of $3,785 last year on making sure their wedding memories were captured. Photographers and videographers in Iowa probably had to work the hardest to get everyone on film – the average wedding size was 215 guests, the highest in any of the 50 states.

Wedding Dress In 2011: $1,121 In 2010: $1,099 Brides spent an average of $1,121 on their wedding dresses in 2011, up only a few dollars from 2010.

Wedding Planner In 2011: $1,753 In 2010: $1,683 The average couple spent about $1,753 on hiring a wedding planner in 2011, slightly more than in 2010. Casual-style weddings continued to grow more popular, while formal and black-tie affairs fell slightly out of favor.

Invitations In 2011: $331 In 2010: $351 The average couple spent about $331 on invitations in 2011. Brides and grooms in Hawaii and Nevada probably spent the least -- they had the smallest weddings on average, with only 77 and 63 guests, respectively.  

Rehearsal Dinner In 2011: $1,078 In 2010: $1,127 Hosting a rehearsal dinner for close friends and family the night before the wedding cost about $1,078 in 2011, down slightly from $1,127 in 2010.

Musical Entertainment In 2011: $4,587 In 2010: $4,484 Getting people to move and groove doesn’t come cheap.  Hiring a DJ or band for the reception as well as musicians for the ceremony cost a combined $4,600 on average in 2011.    

Flowers and Décor In 2011: $1,894 In 2010: $1,988 Spending on flowers and other decorative elements totaled $1,894 in 2011. The most popular wedding palettes in 2011 featured the use of blue and purple. Brown was the color least chosen.

Wedding Cake In 2011: $535 In 2010: $540 Buying a wedding cake was only a small bite of the average couple’s wedding budget in 2012. Sixty-seven percent of brides went for a traditional wedding cake in 2011, though cupcakes continued to be a popular alternative.     

Limousines In 2011: $669 In 2010: $667 Hiring transportation to shuffle around the bride, groom and members of their wedding party came to about $669 on average in 2011.

Favors In 2011: $217 In 2010: $222 At $217 on average, favors for guests represented one of the least expensive portions of the average couple’s wedding expenses in 2011.