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The Knot reports that based on their findings, the average cost of a wedding in the United States in 2023 was $35,000. And that’s not counting the wedding ring!
The biggest costs included the venue (37% of the average wedding budget), catering (28%), the band (12%), and wedding rings (9%).
Other top wedding costs included photography, alcohol, and flowers (all 8% of the average budget), as well as videography (7%), couples attire (also 7%), the wedding planner (6%), event rentals (also 6%), and the lighting and decor (5%), The Knot found.
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Meanwhile, according to The Knot 2023 Guest Study, the main things that wedding guests care about include a well-thought-out wedding website, delicious food (yay!), great music, a beautiful reception setting, tasty drinks, as well as fun wedding entertainment.
Other details to focus on include reliable transportation, a smooth ‘show’ with good timing, and seeing the couple happy. “You could spend all the money in the world, hire a celebrity performer and have a 50-yard slip-and-slide—but if you and your partner are unhappy, table-bound or M.I.A. for the night, no one will have a good time. You two, the beaming newlyweds, are the North Star of this party. If you’re relaxed, smiling and dancing, your guests will follow suit and never forget how much fun they had.”
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Deciding who and how many people to invite to your wedding is a massive question that’s going to impact practically every aspect of the Big Day. It’ll affect the size of your venue as well as its location. It’ll have an impact on your food and decoration vendors, the entertainment you have to plan, as well as a dozen other things, big and small. And, yes, it’ll affect your budget.
To put it plainly, if you want to have a big wedding, you either have to have a huge budget or convince your family and friends to pitch in for the grand celebration. On the flip side, a smaller guest list likely means less financial stress.
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Event and wedding planner Brianne Garritano told Vogue that the size of your guest list will tremendously influence your wedding budget.
“Your venue and your food and beverage are going to comprise some of the largest proportions of your budget. So, the very first thing that you have to do is figure out how many guests you’re going to be inviting, and then out of that number, what is the probability that they’re going to come? Because sometimes there’s a 10% drop-off, and it’s dependent on what time of year [and] where it is,” she explained.
What are the biggest dos and don’ts from your perspective as wedding guests, dear Pandas? What do you love and loathe that marrying couples do? What do you value the most as guests? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!
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