Average Cost of a Wedding. Are you planning to get married? Do you need a budget to help you in planning? Well, this article can help you a great deal. A careful review of this article will help you plan your wedding properly.
However, the average cost of a wedding can vary based on the state you are in. From our research, the average cost of a wedding in the US is $24,723. Check the table below to know the average cost in each region. To know the average cost per guest, divide the average cost by the number of guests you are inviting.
State Average Cost per guest Average cost
Alabama $127 $17,216
Alaska $252 $34,298
Arizona $159 $21,605
Arkansas $128 $17,433
California $231 $31,437 Colorado $203 $$27,646
Connecticut $263 $35,702
Delaware $206 $28,067
Columbia $265 $36,082
Florida $154 $20,933
Georgia $159 $21,666
Hawail $278 $37,827
Idaho $147 $19,925
Apart from Hawaii, the Northeast area has the most expensive weddings. They include Connecticut, Massachusetts, Washington DC, and New Jersey. The most affordable place to do a wedding is in the Southeast areas.
Most Expensive Wedding Features
These features take up to 78% of your wedding budget.
Reception Band
Musical entertainment is very important for the wedding. There will be lots of dancing and singing. You can hire a band or go to a DJ. The average cost of having a band is about $3,094. Getting a DJ is up to 70% cheaper or about $941 for a night.
Photographer
Quality wedding photography can be very expensive. For a wedding, it can cost about $1,952. The cost of video coverage can be up to $1,473. Some photographers can give you lots of discounts when you refer your friends.
Reception Venue
This will include bar services. It may cost between $1,476 and $4,147. If you have a cash bar, it will be a better option. You can choose cheap booze to spend less and ensure that your guests do not pay for their drinks.
Catered Food:
feeding your guests costs a lot at weddings. This may cost an average of $6,937 for about 136 persons. If your party will be bashful, prepare to spend more. It may even be up to $100 per plate for people who want to spend well on their wedding.
Venue Rental:
this is another expensive component. It can be very expensive for renting a venue for a wedding.
Equipment Rental: what about chairs, tables, and lots more to be able to accommodate all the guests.
Engagement Ring: this completely depends on the couple. The average cost for a ring goes between $100 and $1 million.
Flowers and Decoration
This can be costly. However, to reduce cost, ask the venue owner what they have and don’t have. You can as well get your friends and relatives to help you decorate the venue.
Least Expensive Wedding Features
Photo Booth
A photo booth can cost up to $237 on average. If you have a photographer already, it will cut the cost. You can give your camera to a friend to do the snapping.
Invitation
A single invitation costs about $4.13. But if you want something classy, it may be up to $15 or more. You can make a DIY card and send ‘’Print Your Own”. You are also free to send only electronic invitations depending on your guests.
Favors
Usually, wedding favors cost up to $179 on average. This saves a couple a lot of stress and expenses. With careful planning, this can be memorable.
Officiant
You can ask a family member or a friend to help you out with this. If the ceremony will be done in a religious center, ask the religious leader there to officiate the ceremony. This as well comes with a cost.
Cake
This entirely depends on how much you have. If you have money, you can go for very large size cakes for the presentation. You can as well order a small portable and sweet cake. For the pieces that will be shared with guests, you can order half slices for each guest.
Wedding Gown
The bride can decide to rent or buy a gown. However, renting a gown is less expensive.
From all the above quotes, it is obvious that the average cost of a wedding is about $24,723. In the United States, about $55 billion is spent yearly on weddings.