Getting married is one of the most exciting experiences we get to enjoy during our lives. Planning the wedding can be a challenging task. But, have you ever thought of what all the other couples are doing, and what you have with them in common? Based on Statistics for American Weddings, I have found interesting information that I would like to share.

The average American engagement will last from 14 to 16 months. During this time, 55% of the newly engaged couple will choose to host a traditional wedding, 20% will plan a casual event, 21% will plan a unique wedding while 4% will plan an extravagant affair. By the time the event takes place, all the aspects of the wedding would have cost $20,000 in average. When considering who will be chipping in for the event, 30% of the couples will pay for it themselves. Only on the wedding gown, the bride will spend about 6.1% of this average!

The most popular month to get married is June, followed by August, September and October. Choosing the time of the event is also a very important matter. 53% of the brides will choose to host a wedding in the afternoon, 31% in the evening and 16% will wed in the morning. Most of the receptions will be held in churches (30%), hotels is the second choice along with country clubs (20%) and 10% will take place in other locations. Feeding the guests is also a consideration that has to be well thought of: 38% of the weddings will have a buffet, 34% would have a sit down dinner while 28% will serve only cake and punch. Couples will invite around 175 guests, and will have an average bridal party of 12 members. 62% of the weddings will have a flower girl and 56% will have a ring bearer.

Couples are waiting longer before they decide to get married. 69% of engaged couples have known each other for more than 3 years before taking the big step, and 64% of the couples will live together before marriage. The first time bride will be 25 and the groom 27 years old in average when they decide to walk down the altar. 99% of the times, the groom will be the one doing the proposing.

Is your wedding similar to the average American Wedding? I hope you find this information useful when deciding some aspects of your wedding!

Tags: bridal party, bride, budget, ceremony, groom, reception, statistics, wedding

This entry was posted on November 25, 2008 at 1:14 pm and is filed under Wedding Planning, Tips & Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.