Less traditional can sometimes mean less expensive, experts said. It’s no surprise that people may be prioritizing more intimate ceremonies this year,” she said. “In 2022, we saw an average of 117 wedding guests, but in 2023, we discovered 39% of couples are trimming their guest list. The average guest list, according to the report, is expected to include between 130 to 150 invitees.īut Esther Lee, deputy editor at The Knot, a wedding planning and vendor marketplace company, said the guest list for some weddings might be getting tighter. 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), Miami-Ft.

The report ranked New York City at the top of the list among the most expensive cities in the US to have a wedding this year. The Zola report was based on a survey of 4,000 engaged couples getting married in 2023. Shutterstockīrides and grooms have a new place to register for wedding gifts Etsy is an American e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies. Portland, OR, USA - Feb 2, 2021: The Etsy mobile app sign-in page is seen on an iPhone. Add to that a Gen-Z era desire for very customized weddings (hint: don your scuba suit), and prices are rising.

Weddings started roaring back from a pandemic-triggered halt to all kinds of celebrations in 2022, and, ever since, the industry has seen a surge in demands for venues, photographers, wedding planners, florists and wedding cakes. “Wedding industry vendors have had to raise their rates because they’re also paying more for goods and services like food, flowers and labor,” Emily Forrest, Zola’s director of communications, told CNN. The price tag for a happily-ever-after day is higher year-over-year for two reasons, said Zola - inflation and demand exceeding supply of wedding related goods and services. And in some big US cities, the cost is $35,000 and above. The average cost of a wedding, nationally, this year is $29,000, up $1,000 from 2022, according to online wedding planning site Zola. But engaged couples will pay a tad more to get hitched in 2023.

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