Ok, so you want some Wedding statistics?  Let's start with some interesting Engagement ones since your probably still in that stage...

ENGAGEMENT STATISTICS

• The average American engagement is 16 months.
• June is the most popular month for weddings, then August, followed by September October and May
• Every year an average of 2.4 million weddings are performed in the U.S.
• The Wedding Industry is a 50 billion dollar a year industry
• Average age for first-time brides is 25 years, for grooms it's 27.5
• 175 guests are invited to an average wedding
• One third of engaged couples retain a Wedding Consultant
• An average honeymoon vacation is one week
• The average household income of a newly married couple is $60,000/year
• Tuxedoes are typically purchased 5-6 months after the wedding gown
• Bridesmaids' gowns are general purchased 3-4 months in advance of the event
• Average size of wedding party: 12
• Most brides (30%) plan their weddings for 7 to 12 months
• Most (about 75%) first-time brides will receive a diamond engagement ring (67% of repeat brides).
• About 15% of weddings include ethnic customs
• 35% of weddings occur in the summer; 29% in the spring; 23% in the fall; 13% in the winter.
• 11% of winter weddings are Christmas weddings

COST STATISTICS

• $22,000 is the average amount spent on a traditional American wedding
• A total of $72 billion is spent on weddings annually in the U.S.
• $19 billion is spent buying presents at wedding gift registries
• The average amount spent on a bridal gown is $800
• The average ring costs $2,000

TOP WEDDING DESTINATIONS

• Las Vegas (100,000 weddings/year)
• Hawaii (25,000 wedding/year)
• Bahamas (5,000 weddings/year)
• Jamaica (5,000 weddings/year)
• U.S. Virgin Islands (4,000 weddings/year)

OTHER WEDDING STATISTICS

• 80% of traditional weddings are performed in churches or synagogue.
• Four out of five brides are employed.
• 35% of Brides and Grooms have a valid passport.
• Percentage of couples living together before marriage: 64%
• Percentage of engaged couples who’ve known each other longer than 3 years: 69%
• Percentage of brides who say they’ll be changing their surnames: 60%
• 53% of weddings occur in the afternoon; 31% in the evening; 16% in the morning.
• 30% of receptions are held in churches; 20% in hotels; 20% in country clubs; and 10% each in fraternal halls, private homes, and other locations.
• 38% of weddings have a buffet; 34% have a sit-down dinner; 28% serve only cake and punch.
• 62% of weddings have a flower girl.
• 56% have a ring bearer.
• More than 4.2 million unmarried couples live together.
• 67% of women continue to wear the same fragrance they wore on their wedding day.

MARRIAGES BY MONTH

• January 4.7%
• February 7.0%
• March 6.1%
• April 7.4%
• May 9.8%
• June 10.8%
• July 9.7%
• August 10.2%
• September 9.6%
• October 9.4%
• November 7.4%
• December 7.8%

WEDDING COSTS BY CATEGORY*

• Reception 28.3%
• Consultant 15.0% (if hired)
• Wedding Rings 11.5%
• Photography/Video 6.6%
• Bridal Gown 6.1%
• Music 5.2%
• Flowers 4.6%
• Bridal attendants' apparel 4.5%
• Rehearsal dinner 4.2%
• Men's formal wear 3.2%
• Invitations 2.8%
• Attendants' gifts 2.1%
• Mother of the bride apparel 1.7%
• Bride's veil 1.6%
• Clergy and ceremony fees 1.2%
• Limousine 0.9%
• Groom's attire 0.8%
  Source: Association of Bridal Consultants*

• Among couples who choose a traditional wedding, 99 percent take a honeymoon.
• Couples spend an average of $4,000 on their honeymoon. That's three times as much as the average U.S. adult spends on a vacation.
• The length of an average honeymoon is seven days.
• 45 percent of honeymoon trips are to domestic locations; 55 percent are foreign.
• The Honeymoon Industry is a 12 billion dollar a year industry.

Most Popular Honeymoon Activities:

• Visiting a new place for sightseeing, restaurants, entertainment and nightlife- 75%
• Beaches and lakes - 45%
• Casinos - 20%
• Cruises - 15%
• Golf/sports vacations - 10%
• Skiing trips - 5%

Destinations that are most frequently chosen

• Aruba 8%
• Bahamas 20.2%
• Bermuda 3.1%
• British Virgin Islands 7%
• Caribbean 34%
• Caribbean Islands 6.3%
• The Cayman Islands 10.5%
• Europe 4%
• Hawaii 33%
• Jamaica 17.1%
• Mexico 7%
• Puerto Rico 3.8%
• St. Marten 5.6%
• US Virgin Islands 7%

Places To Stay While On The Honeymoon

• 46.1% Hotel/Motel
• 35.2% Resort
• 20.1% Boat/Ship
• 8.2% Bed and Breakfast/Inn
• 8.9% Other

Transportation Used for Honeymoon

• 76.2% Airplane
• 60% Rent Car
• 16.4% Their Own Car
• 27% Boat/Ship
• 2.7% Railroad

• Association of Bridal Consultants
• Condé Nast Bridal Group
• Mediapost.com National Bridal Service
• National Center for Health Statistics
• Greeting Card Association
• National Association of Wedding Ministers

Now Let's talk about some regretful statistics...  You know, after the Wedding reception is done and the spotlight has settled...

How Much Should You Pay For Your DJ?

Entertainment Rates vary based upon talent, experience, emcee ability, service, coordination, equipment needed, music knowledge, mixing ability, and personality.

A full-service Entertainment company will normally invest 12 to 30 hours to your special affair, but it may appear that you are only paying for “4 hours”. Consultations, music purchases, editing, preparation, set-up and tear-down of equipment, education and other business related endeavors all add up to endure the overall success of your special occasion.

Rates for professional disc jockeys will average $550 to $1500 for a 3-6 hour affair.
 

The best price is not always the best deal, especially when planning a wedding!

*These excerpts are taken from the American Disc Jockey Association’s website.

AFTER THE VOWS...

• 72% of all brides say they would have spent more time choosing their reception entertainment.

• Almost 100% say they would have spent more of their budget on the entertainment.

• During wedding planning, Brides say their highest priority is their attire, followed by the reception site and caterer - reception entertainment is among the least of their priorities. Within one week after their reception, 78% of Brides say they would have made the entertainment their highest priority!

• When asked 81% of guests say the thing they remember most about a wedding is the entertainment.

• 65% of all couples that chose a band to entertain at their wedding, said, if they had it to do over again, they would have chosen a disc jockey.

*These statistics were published in St. Louis Bride & Groom Magazine in 2003. Sources include: Simmons, 2001; USA Today, 2002; National Bridal Service, 2001; The Knot, 2002; Brides Magazine, 2001.