How much does having a wedding in The US cost in 2023?

Demand for venues, photographers, wedding planners, florists etc. has increased and more weddings are happening, with Covid pandemic losing its steam.

Weddings are one of the most memorable moments of one's life. People often go out of their way to have get a dream wedding done, even if it burns a hole in their pocket. A report by CNN citing online wedding planning site Zola, looks into the rising wedding costs in USA.

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As per reports, the average cost of a wedding in 2023 in USA is $29,000. The cost is an increase of $1,000 from 2022. In some US cities, the cost goes $35,000 and above.

“Wedding industry vendors have had to raise their rates because they’re also paying more for goods and services like food, flowers and labor.” said Emily Forrest, Zola’s director of communications as quoted by CNN.

The report highlights how the demand for venues, photographers, wedding planners, florists etc. has increased and more weddings are happening, with Covid pandemic losing its steam. The present generation often goes for customised weddings which adds to the cost tremendously.

As per the report, New York is the costliest US city to have a wedding in 2023. A wedding in New York City costs about $43,536, followed by San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose ($37,284), Boston ($35,902), Philadelphia ($34,111), Miami-Ft. Lauderdale ($33,622), Washington, DC ($33,199), Chicago ($32,281) and Los Angeles ($30,712). 4,000 couples who got engaged in 2023 were surveyed to get the report.

The report says that average guest list is expected to include between 130 to 150 persons. In the wake of rising costs for weddings, hosts are cutting down on the number of guests.

“In 2022, we saw an average of 117 wedding guests, but in 2023, we discovered 39% of couples are trimming their guest list. It’s no surprise that people may be prioritizing more intimate ceremonies this year,” said Esther Lee, deputy editor at The Knot which is a wedding planning and vendor marketplace company.