♥ The percentage of couples paying for the wedding reception exclusively themselves (36%) is up significantly vs. 2009 (29%) with 62% of couples contributing or paying entirely.
♥ There is an emphasis on style with wedding dress costs continuing to increase. The average cost of a wedding gown is now $1,355, up from $1,289 in 2011. Average costs of bridesmaid dresses ($145 vs. $143 in 2011), groomsmen attire ($137 vs. $121 in 2011) and honeymoon attire ($902 vs. $845 in 2011) has also increased. We’re also seeing an increase in grooms buying tuxes rather than rent.
♥ Couples remain committed to personalisation with 31% planning weddings personal themes, 31% creating custom cocktails and 20% incorporating cultural traditions.
♥ 59% of couples are using Pinterest to find and collect wedding inspiration.
♥ The cost of weddings continues to remain steady with an average price-tag of $26,989. This is a slight increase from $26,501 in 2011. Wedding spending peaked in 2008, with the 2009 Brides AWS reporting an average of $28,082.
♥ An average price tag for a reception is $11,599.
♥ Outside of the reception, the largest chunks of money are going to photography ($2,186), wedding rings ($1,594) and flowers ($1,334).
♥ An average wedding dress costs $1,355 up from $1,289 in 2011.
♥ Spending has increased slightly for photography ($2,186 vs. $2,097 in 2011)....Show more →
I found the numbers quite striking when comparing them to our own wedding, which took place last summer, as well as what we've seen and where we've priced ourselves from the other end of the aisle as wedding photographers.
p.1 #3 · Latest Market Research on What Brides are Spending, Wanting
deepbluejh wrote:
Sounds about right. I read a survey from a different source a few years ago and the numbers were similar to what you list here.
Curiously, how do these numbers differ from your own wedding last year?
Hmm...off the top of my head, we spent around 1/3rd of the survey amounts on flowers and photography, and around 1/6th the survey amounts on the rings.
Jun 19, 2012 at 07:26 PM
marti.g3 Offline • • • • [X]
p.1 #4 · Latest Market Research on What Brides are Spending, Wanting
Spending more on photography than rings ? That can't be right. The average for the rings seems pretty low.
p.1 #5 · Latest Market Research on What Brides are Spending, Wanting
I seriously hope they are not including any Indian weddings in their survey sample. It will skew this picture pretty bad , Last two weddings I've seen had nearly 1000-1200 guests for wedding, and it goes on for 2-3 days with ceremonies + reception.
p.1 #10 · Latest Market Research on What Brides are Spending, Wanting
From a marketing perspective the most interesting parts of the survey are the influences on couples purchasing decisions, and where / how they encounter those influences.
p.1 #14 · Latest Market Research on What Brides are Spending, Wanting
TTLKurtis wrote:
These numbers all sound super low. Maybe that's the average though I don't know.
I think you would be shocked how many people spend relatively little on their wedding. Spending $4000+ on a photographer is by far the exception and not the rule.
p.1 #15 · Latest Market Research on What Brides are Spending, Wanting
I'm actually surprised that the average is that low for photography - but it depends a lot on who the sample population was, and how many people were included in that sample.
p.1 #16 · Latest Market Research on What Brides are Spending, Wanting
TAGfan wrote:
I'm actually surprised that the average is that low for photography - but it depends a lot on who the sample population was, and how many people were included in that sample.
The US average has been around $2,000 for a while .. and it's been that with all of the surveys I've seen. So it's probably a reliable number.
p.1 #17 · Latest Market Research on What Brides are Spending, Wanting
TAGfan wrote:
I'm actually surprised that the average is that low for photography - but it depends a lot on who the sample population was, and how many people were included in that sample.
I'm not at all. Before we started looking into photographers for our own wedding, I couldn't imagine it could cost 2k for a photographer. We spent a fraction of that, but our photographer has since tripled her prices for the same amount of coverage, so she's right in that ballpark too.
, Last two weddings I've seen had nearly 1000-1200 guests for wedding, and it goes on for 2-3 days with ceremonies + reception.