Cost of weddings increased 25% to $27k in 2021, data reveals
LOS ANGELES - From the perfect venue to the dress to the food to the entertainment, it’s no surprise that weddings can be costly — and according to new data, it’s just getting costlier to tie the knot.
According to The Wedding Report — a wedding market research company — the average amount spent on a wedding increased to $27,063 in 2021, which is up 25% from $20,286 in 2020.
"This is a significant increase over a horrible 2020 and a welcome sign for the industry," the company noted in its recent analysis.
Average spending per wedding for market summary (Credit: The Wedding Report)
In addition, results illustrate the average cost of a wedding was higher prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 when comparing the cost in 2020, but was still about $3,000 less than 2021’s momentous price.
The data was based on 1,669 cost survey samples from people getting married and nearly 40,000 behavioral data samples from The Wedding Report’s wedding cost estimator. Demographic distribution includes multiple ethnicities, education levels, occupation types, income levels and first, second and third plus marriages.
Newlyweds kiss each other behind their bouquet of flowers and two wedding rings lying on the bridge railing. (Credit: Uwe Anspach/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The research company noted the average number of guests also increased to 124 in 2021 up from 107 in 2020, which can put additional strain on the wedding budget.
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This analysis provided similar results to a previous study by The Knot, which found the average cost of a wedding ceremony and reception in 2021 was $28,000.
Additionally, newlyweds spent an average of $5,000 on a honeymoon and $6,000 on an engagement ring, driving up the total cost to $39,000.