Congrats, you beautiful lady! You said yes to the man behind that beautiful bling and you’re settling in to plan the wedding of your lifetime! What an exciting time! As you secure a date on your calendar one thing’s for sure: You have to decide on the wedding budget.
Deciding on the wedding budget is a complex matter; you have to take into account the income of the person or persons paying for it and you might suddenly realize how your wedding date impacts the price and availability of the venues, photographers, churches, and other vendors’ services.
Somehow, when I got engaged, my new fiance knew how much he didn’t want to spend. I was surprised that he knew anything about the money end of wedding planning. He knew he didn’t want to spend what everyone else was spending–he wanted to spend less.
But what does that mean? How much is less than everyone else?
The Average Wedding Budget
According to theknot.com, the average wedding in America during 2015 was almost $33,000. Obviously, this means that some regions in our vast country spent way less, like Alaska (just over $17,000) or South Dakota (around $18,000), but other places averaged far above the national average, like Chicago ($61,000) or New York City (over $82,000).
In Columbus, Ohio, where I am based, the average wedding budget fell below the national average at a little over $27,000. And if you’re not a Columbus-dweller, check out the infographic put together by The Knot to see what the wedding budget average in your area.
The big question I ask myself is this: How does wedding photography fall in this whole wedding budget thing? According to the same source, the nation-wide average spent for wedding photographers was over $2600 in 2015. Want to know how your wedding budget breakdown stacks up the national average? Looking for guidance in planning your budget? Check out the categories listed below:
Why is it beneficial to know this information? Raise your hand if you don’t like overspending on anything. *raises hand* I want quality, so I’ll pay for quality, but I don’t want to pay more for something that is average. Are you with me on this? So, if you’re planning your wedding and the officiant quotes you a $500 bill for services that aren’t any more special, sentimental, or superior to anyone else’s offerings, keep shopping. This can work the other way, though: If a photographer quotes you $500 for a wedding, they are likely unable to offer something that a photographer in range of the average can offer you. It’s important to be informed, am I right?
As for my man and me: Well, let’s just say my mom is a rockstar who made it possible for us to have a beautiful and lovely wedding!