What people Spend on Weddings
The average wedding in the U.S. in 2008 cost $29,334, according to a survey by the knot.com. (We can do better! The average bride spends way too much!) The bulk of the budget went to the reception venue, followed by the reception band, and photography.
Some costs went down significantly from 2007:
Wedding Gown 
$1,032, -22%
Wedding Cake $555, -19.7%
Ceremony Musicians $414, -12.0%
Florist/Déco $1,924, -2.4%
Some costs went up:
Reception Venue$13,667, +7.4%
Reception DJ $943, +0.3%
Photographer $2,655, +0.2%
Videographer $1,591 +1.2%
Wedding/Event Planner$1,907, +8.6%
ring (Cost per Head)$73, +6.9%
Wedding Day Transportation $725, +6.7%
Some costs were not compared to last year:
Invitations$538
Who pays: The bride’s parents (44%) and the bride and groom (43%) are paying for the majority of weddings. Grooms’ parents also contributed (12%) in 2008.
DIY Trends: Fifty-five percent of brides made their own favors and ceremony programs. Other top DIY categories were escort cards, save-the-dates, invitations, and decorations.
The Wedding guest Count: The average wedding had 148 guests, five bridesmaid and five groomsmen.
Non-traditional Wedding Venues: Traditional venues, like reception halls and restaurants, dropped off as couples chose inventive sites, such as historical buildings, vineyards, and beaches. In 2008, 35% of ceremonies took place outdoors. Only 20% of weddings in 2008 were characterized as “formal/black tie”.
Wedding Planners in Demand: Forty-one percent of couples used full wedding-planning services in 2008, while “day-of” services jumped 14% in popularity.
Wedding Photography styles: Ninety-three percent of brides chose documentary style photographers, and 90% of photographers shot in digital.
Regional Wedding Differences: New York City has the oldest brides and grooms, with average ages of 31 and 33. Respectively, Utah has the youngest, with average ages of 25 (bride) and 27 (groom).
·Iowa and Nebraska couples have the largest weddings, with more than 200 guests.
·Hawaii, Maine, and North Carolina have the most casual weddings. Connecticut, South Florida, Chicago, Detroit, and New York City (and surrounding areas) have the most formal (black tie).
·Central Pennsylvania has the lowest average wedding budget ($20,653), reflecting an 18% drop over 2007. Long Island, NY has the highest average wedding budget ($56,823), followed by New York City with $52,904. Las Vegas weddings experienced the highest jump in spending at 19%.
The top 10 “most expensive” places to get married are: Long Island, New York; New York City; Northern New Jersey; Hudson Valley, New York; Chicago; Connecticut; Los Angeles; South Florida; Rhode Island; and Orange County.
Jelly bean Centerpieces
A really cute wedding idea is to make simple wedding centerpieces using jelly beans. You can insert a couple of flowers in the vase. For fresh flowers you would need to have the tips inserted into florists foam that is in a self contained little plastic container. That way, you can keep the flowers fresh without filling the vase with water and ruining the jelly beans! Since the jellybeans are so colorful, you wouldn't need as many stems. I have even seen a Jelly bean centerpiece with a candle in the middle,, but I can see that being a hazard if you have kids at
your wedding. You can probably pick up some
after-Easter candy really cheap at CVS, Walgreens,
and the grocery stores or you can buy it wholesale at
www.thesweetfactory.com. Just look under wholesale
category on the site. A unique favor idea is to offer
tubs of cotton candy. They sell a case of 32
for $57.60, which works out
to about $1.80 each.
Free Wedding Planning Service!
Lovegevity's Wedding Planning Institute is offering a free wedding planning service using its graduates. Certified Wedding Planners are paid through partnerships with professional wedding vendors and offer their event planning services. But there is no cost to engaged couples. For more information, visit http://www.Lovegevity.com.
