The Wedding Report

When asked “what words best describe your wedding” the majority of couple say Romantic, Simple and Traditional. While these are the top 3 choices of couples we surveyed in 2011, over 70% of the market focuses on two words, Romantic and Simple. With a TURF Analysis, we were able to determine that by focusing on these 2 words you can connect with over 70% of the market. Simplify put, start using the words Romantic and Simple in your marketing message and you’ll make a better connection with potential customers.

Here are the words that describe the type of weddings couples are having.

With the 2011 average wedding cost at $25,631 it’s no wonder everyone is contributing. Even though many expenses are shared by parents, relatives, and friends, it’s the couple contributing most often. This explains some of the changes we are seeing in the wedding industry. Changes like, less overall spending, less guests, more unique options, less tradition and formality. Today’s wedding couple is about romantic, simple and fun more than tradition and formality. Either way, it’s still expensive and everyone seems to be pitching in.

Who contributes to wedding cost 2010 & 2011.

The average number of guests attending a 2011 wedding was 138. A single guest adds about $186 to the overall cost of a wedding. This is a 2% decrease from the 2010 average of 141.

The table and chart below shows the average number of guests from 2006 to 2011.

New York, NY Metropolitan Area is the largest wedding market in the U.S. with just over 116,000 weddings per year. Couples spend 24% more than the average U.S. wedding with a total market value of $3.8 billion. The technical CBSA (Core Based Statistical Area) name for New York, NY is: New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA and you can get a complete Wedding Statistics Report for the New York, NY Metropolitan Area here.

New York, NY Metropolitan Area accounts for 5% of all U.S. weddings.

Couples spend an average $33k compared to the U.S. average of $27k. That’s over $3.8 billing in annual wedding sales.

The counties included in the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA statistical area are:

Bergen, NJ

Essex, NJ

Hudson, NJ

Hunterdon, NJ

Middlesex, NJ

Monmouth, NJ

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