The average wedding was just $29,000

New York
CNN
–

Weddings are back in full force. This is the good news. But engaged couples will pay more to get hitched in 2023.

The average cost of a wedding, nationally, this year is $29,000, an increase of $1,000 from 2022, according to online wedding planning site Zola. And in some major US cities, the cost is $35,000 and up.

Zola said that the price of an always happy day is higher year after year for two reasons – economic inflation And demand exceeded supply of wedding-related goods and services. “Wedding industry vendors have had to raise their prices because they’re also paying more for goods and services like food, flowers, and labor,” Emily Forrest, Zola’s director of communications, told CNN.

Weddings have begun Back from a break caused by the pandemic For all types of celebrations in 2022, and since then, the industry has seen an increase in demand for venues, photographers, wedding planners, florists, and wedding cakes. Add to that the Gen Z era’s desire for ultra-custom weddings (hint: wear a wetsuit), and the prices are skyrocketing.

Zola’s report was based on a survey of 4,000 married couples who got married in 2023.

The report ranked New York City as the most expensive city in the United States for a wedding this year. A wedding in the Big Apple is expected to cost about $43,536, followed by San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose ($37,284), Boston ($35,902), Philadelphia ($34,111), and Miami-Ft. Lauderdale ($33,622), Washington, D.C. ($33,199), Chicago ($32,281), and Los Angeles ($30,712).

The average guest list, according to the report, is expected to include between 130 and 150 invitees.

But Esther Lee, deputy editor at wedding planning company and vendor marketplace The Knot, said the guest list for some weddings could be tighter.

In 2022, we saw an average of 117 wedding guests, but in 2023, we found out that 39% of couples are cutting back on their guest list. It’s not surprising, she said, that people may be prioritizing more intimate celebrations this year.

Experts said that less traditional can sometimes mean lower cost. David’s Bridal, a leading wedding dress retailer, said its business has been affected by the number of brides wearing casual or vintage-style dresses. But being unique can also inflate costs.

“Unique weddings are having a moment with the onset of over-personalisation, which means couples distill the influences most important to them and inject those touches into the details of their wedding day,” said The Knot’s Lee.

“For example, recently, history buffs have been interested in an antiquities-themed wedding or honeymoon that might involve reading an ancient book or coin ornaments from the Byzantine or Roman empires.”

Pinterest said it has an indication of another trend. It said searches for alternative weddings — particularly underwater weddings — jumped 305% on its platform. “Underwater weddings are a great example of the unconventional wedding searches we’re seeing happening on the platform right now,” said Gina Landy, director of brand research at Pinterest.

“Although it’s a bit logistically challenging, it’s interesting to see the data on underwater weddings in 2023,” she said. It might be surprisingly interesting because of the Disney live-action version the little Mermaid. ”

Wedding photographer Kimber Greenwood, who specializes in photographing underwater weddings, has been booked to shoot 20 of them this year. “There was a huge jump in interest,” she said.

Greenwood, a trained diver in Gainesville, Florida, is offering a package through her adventure photography business, Water Bear Photography, which includes an official, a dress to wear to the event (but not to a party), flowers and photography for $3,000.

“I’ve never had a couple say they regretted the experience,” she said.

When asked who pays the bill for weddings, Zola’s report showed that 33% of couples said they contribute to their wedding budgets in some way, but another 16% said they pay for the entire wedding themselves.

The wedding industry must enjoy a resurgence, because it may not last. Jewelers reported that, as fewer brides or grooms met their partners during the Covid-19 quarantine period, Recent posts rate Elusive.