The Knot, an online resource for weddings, has released its 2014 survey and finds that U.S. weddings continue to cost more — and seek to offer new experiences for guests.
“Couples are focusing on creating an amazing guest experience and reception details, including finding unique venues to reflect their personality,” said Rebecca Dolgin, editor-in-chief of The Knot.
“Perhaps the biggest change we’ve seen is in the amount of brides using their mobile phone to plan their wedding — it has doubled in just three years.”
Here are 10 facts from the survey that may help you plan your own wedding.
Marrying couples have gone mobile
The Knot’s study found that married couples plan their weddings from their smartphone more than in previous years — doubling from 2011 (33 percent) to 2014 (61 percent). The study also found that about six out of 10 brides use their smartphones to plan their weddings, and 61 percent use their smartphones to research different wedding gowns.
Many couples are saving the date
We all know Americans are busy with work, family time and other weekly activities, which can make it hard to plan a wedding. The Knot’s survey found that 75 percent of couples decided to send out “save the date” invitations, which is up from 72 percent in 2013 and 57 percent in 2009.
For the uninitiated, a save-the-date wedding invitation lets guests know the date of the wedding without telling guests where or what specific time the wedding will start. It also asks family and friends to plan in advance for the wedding.
Personalization is key
This isn’t your grandma’s wedding, or your mother’s wedding. In fact, The Knot’s survey found that 40 percent of marrying couples wanted to have their wedding in a venue that was unique to them. The study said that 14 percent of couples got married in historic buildings or homes, which is up from 12 percent five years ago. Farm weddings also rose from 3 percent in 2009 to 6 percent in 2014.
The cost of weddings rose in 2014
The Knot’s survey found that the national cost of a wedding jumped from $29,858 in 2013 to $31,213 in 2014. This is likely because many of the aspects of a wedding, like the venue, photographer, engagement ring and wedding dress, also went up in price in 2014.
Nevada and New York had the oldest brides, Virginia and Kentucky had the youngest
Nevada and New York brides were 32.7 and 32 years old, respectively. But down south, Virginia and Kentucky had the youngest brides at 26.8 and 26.9 years old, respectively.
New Jersey and Pennsylvania had the longest engagements, Utah and Texas had the shortest
Couples in New Jersey and Pennsylvania didn’t get married immediately, waiting 18 and 17.5 months, respectively, to finally get hitched. Meanwhile, Utahns waited 10 months to have their wedding and Texans waited 9.9 months, according to The Knot’s survey.
Honeymoons aren’t cut out for all states
Marrying couples in Alabama, New Jersey, Utah and Tennessee were most likely to go on a honeymoon, but those in North Dakota and Alaska were the least likely to do so.
People are inviting fewer guests to their wedding
The Knot’s survey also found that the number of guests people are inviting to their wedding has dropped from 149 to 136. Ms. Dolgin said this is because marrying couples are focused on creating a better wedding experience and not creating a sizable event packed with guests.
Weddings are popular in June and October
When are people getting married most? The survey said that June and October lead the way with the most amount of weddings. Fifteen percent of Americans got married in June last year, while 14 percent got married in October.
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