First comes love, then comes sticker shock?
Diving headfirst into the world of wedding planning can be a scary and surprising experience. If you have never been involved in planning a wedding before, whether for yourself or a close friend/family member, it is not uncommon to be completely overwhelmed by the cost that goes into a wedding. In this time of “Pinterest Weddings”, we find ourselves striving to recreate jaw dropping looks only to find the cost can be unfathomable. According to data collected by The Knot, the average cost for a wedding in 2021 was $22,500. This cost average can all vary by location though, Rhode Island having the highest average at $49,800 and Utah having the least average at $19,700.
We have talked with some recent brides to get their take on wedding costs and what surprised them the most. Most of the brides we talked to were blown away by the costs of wedding items that were temporary, (flowers, food, cake, etc.). Real Bride, Kenzie talked about how the best thing to come out of guest count cuts due to Covid-19 was how much she was then able to save on food and centerpiece arrangements. Venue spaces were another category that shocked our couples. Real bride, Rebecca says that her sister called for the pricing of a venue that they knew would be pricey but wanted to check anyway. The rental price for the reception space was a hefty 36k along with the rental of the ceremony space tagging on an additional 18k, putting it at 54k for just the venue!
Couples will find that the more moving parts they plan to have for their wedding, the price tag quickly adds up. There are so many things that go into a wedding and if you are trying the have the best of them all, you might find yourself on the higher end of that average wedding cost. The amazing thing about weddings today, is we are seeing more couples that are ready to throw the old wedding traditions out the window and are making weddings more personalized to them. So this is my advice I want to leave for you. Plan for things to cost more than you expect. Dig deep with your partner and figure out what are the most important things to you. Incorporate those and forget the things that won’t bring you joy. And most importantly, use this time planning together to plan for your life together. Figure out how to work through the stress, budget your money and enjoy the small moments, the big moments and everything in-between.