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Wedding Facts

Cost Statistics
Top Wedding Destinations
Other Wedding Statistics
Marriages by Month
Wedding Costs by Category
Honeymoon Statistics
Most Popular Honeymoon Activities
Destinations that are Most Frequently Chosen
Places to Stay on the Honeymoon
Transportation Used for Honeymoon

In the rhyme 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue', "blue" is symbolic of the blood of royalty, since both the bride and the groom were once considered to be "royal" on their wedding day.

The most frequent number of bridesmaids is 4 (including the maid of honor). 62% of weddings have a flower girl, while 56% have a ring bearer.

Queen Victoria made white the bridal color of choice when she wore it to wed Prince Albert in 1840.

The average American engagement is 16 months.

During the engagement period, couples buy:

June is the most popular month for weddings, then August, followed by September October and May

Every year an average of 2.4 million weddings are performed in the U.S.

The Wedding Industry is a 50 billion dollar a year industry

Average age for first-time brides is 25 years, for grooms it's 27.5

175 guests are invited to an average wedding

One third of engaged couples retain a Wedding Consultant

An average honeymoon vacation is one week

The average household income of a newly married couple is $60,000/year

Couples are waiting longer to get married

Tuxedoes are typically purchased 5-6 months after the wedding gown

Median age for remarriage is 34 for women and 37 for men

Bridesmaids' gowns are general purchased 3-4 months in advance of the event

Average size of wedding party: 12

Most brides (30%) plan their weddings for 7 to 12 months

Most (about 75%) first-time brides will receive a diamond engagement ring (67% of repeat brides).

About 15% of weddings include ethnic customs

35% of weddings occur in the summer; 29% in the spring; 23% in the fall; 13% in the winter.

11% of winter weddings are Christmas weddings


Cost Statistics

$22,000 is the average amount spent on a traditional American wedding

A total of $72 billion is spent on weddings annually in the U.S.

$19 billion is spent buying presents at wedding gift registries

The average amount spent on a bridal gown is $800

David's Bridal accounts for 20% of all bridal-gown sales, and that percentage is increasing

The average ring costs $2,000


Top Wedding Destinations:

Las Vegas (100,000 weddings/year)

Hawaii (25,000 wedding/year)

Bahamas (5,000 weddings/year)

Jamaica (5,000 weddings/year)

U.S. Virgin Islands (4,000 weddings/year)


Other Wedding Statistics

80% of traditional weddings are performed in churches or synagogue.

Four out of five brides are employed.

There is a 43% chance of a marriage ending in divorce.

35% of Brides and Grooms have a valid passport.

Percentage of couples living together before marriage: 64%

Percentage of engaged couples who've known each other longer than 3 years: 69%

166,000: Wedding ceremonies performed annually in Istanbul, Turkey

Percentage of brides who say they'll be changing their surnames: 60%

93,750: Approximate cost, in dollars, of an average Japanese wedding

150,000: Wedding ceremonies conducted in Canada in 2002

53% of weddings occur in the afternoon; 31% in the evening; 16% in the morning.

30% of receptions are held in churches; 20% in hotels; 20% in country clubs; and 10% each in fraternal halls, private homes, and other locations.

38% of weddings have a buffet; 34% have a sit-down dinner; 28% serve only cake and punch.

62% of weddings have a flower girl.

56% have a ring bearer.

Brides 18 to 39 receive 85% of all wedding cards.

More than 4.2 million unmarried couples live together.

67% of women continue to wear the same fragrance they wore on their wedding day.


Marriages by Month

January 4.7%

February 7.0%

March 6.1%

April 7.4%

May 9.8%

June 10.8%

July 9.7%

August 10.2%

September 9.6%

October 9.4%

November 7.4%

December 7.8%


Weddings Costs by Category*

Reception 28.3%

Consultant 15.0% (if hired)

Wedding Rings 11.5%

Photography/Video 6.6%

Bridal Gown 6.1%

Music 5.2%

Flowers 4.6%

Bridal attendants' apparel 4.5%

Rehearsal dinner 4.2%

Men's formal wear 3.2%

Invitations 2.8%

Attendants' gifts 2.1%

Mother of the bride apparel 1.7%

Bride's veil 1.6%

Clergy and ceremony fees 1.2%

Limousine 0.9%

Groom's attire 0.8%

*Source: Association of Bridal Consultants


Honeymoon Statistics

Among couples who choose a traditional wedding, 99 percent take a honeymoon.

Couples spend an average of $4,000 on their honeymoon. That's three times as much as the average U.S. adult spends on a vacation.

The length of an average honeymoon is seven days.

45 percent of honeymoon trips are to domestic locations; 55 percent are foreign.

The Honeymoon Industry is a 12 billion dollar a year industry.


Most Popular Honeymoon Activities:

Visiting a new place for sightseeing, restaurants, entertainment and nightlife- 75%

Beaches and lakes - 45%

Casinos - 20%

Cruises - 15%

Golf/sports vacations - 10%

Skiing trips - 5%


Destinations that are most frequently chosen

Aruba 8%

Bahamas 20.2%

Bermuda 3.1%

British Virgin Islands 7%

Caribbean 34%

Caribbean Islands 6.3%

The Cayman Islands 10.5%

Europe 4%

Hawaii 33%

Jamaica 17.1%

Mexico 7%

Puerto Rico 3.8%

St. Marten 5.6%

US Virgin Islands 7%


Places To Stay While On The Honeymoon

46.1% Hotel/Motel

35.2% Resort

20.1% Boat/Ship

8.2% Bed and Breakfast/Inn

8.9% Other


Transportation Used for Honeymoon

76.2% Airplane

60% Rent Car

16.4% Their Own Car

27% Boat/Ship

2.7% Railroad

"Tie the knot" comes from Roman times, when the bride wore a girdle tied in knots that the groom later untied.

The bride stands to the groom's left during a Christian ceremony, because in bygone days the groom needed his right hand free to fight off other suitors.


Sources

Association of Bridal Consultants

Condé Nast Bridal Group

Mediapost.com National Bridal Service

National Center for Health Statistics

Greeting Card Association

National Association of Wedding Ministers