Business is booming for the bridal industry: This year, there will be 2.1 million weddings — an average of 40,400 per weekend. This number actually has remained stagnant since the Eighties, but the price of weddings has skyrocketed — the average cost of $26,327 has grown by 73 percent in 15 years. Below is a list of the top costs for weddings, according to Fairchild Bridal Group’s “American Wedding Study 2005.” While the reception takes the clear number-one spot (the food and drink had better be good), surprising costs go into areas such as videography and pictures. Oh, and if New York City is the destination of choice, jack up the cost of your wedding by 46 percent.
1. WEDDING RECEPTION
Average cost: $8,364
What’s a wedding without the party afterward? A total of 99 percent of respondents surveyed threw a wedding reception after their ceremony, and on average, 164 guests attended the reception. JoAnn Gregoli, owner of Elegant Occasions, an event planning company in New York, pointed out that, because couples are older nowadays, it’s all about the quality of the dinner. “Older couples’ tastes are more refined, everything is reflective of the food,” she said. The movement toward unique spaces is also noticeable. “My clients tell me: ‘Don’t give me a place that everyone has already been to.’ No one wants to be cookie-cutter anymore,” she said.
2. ENGAGEMENT RING
Average cost: $4,146
Thanks to songs such as “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” and tag lines reading “A diamond is forever,” there’s plenty of pressure to find the perfect engagement ring. An interesting trend with rings these days: colored diamonds and gemstones. Sapphires or emeralds can stand alone, or the stone often will be surrounded by smaller diamonds. WWD said in March, “The market is on the brink of change, with talks of colored stones as a trend as well as the prevalence of vintage looks.”
3. PHOTOGRAPHS
Average cost: $1,663
When all is said and done, photos are what couples have to remember their special day — apart from, of course, each other and their memories. Photographers can charge by the hour or even for the entire wedding day. Patrick Murphy-Racey, a photographer based in Knoxville, Tenn., charges couples by the weekend, making himself available to the wedding party throughout the entire celebration. “I like to get to know the couple and their guests and to make them feel comfortable with me being around,” he said.
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4. WEDDING RINGS
Average cost: $1,651
Two wedding bands cost 40 percent of one engagement ring. Yet the average amount spent on bands has still increased dramatically (56 percent) since 1999. Wedding bands can range from simple to ultradetailed, which will ultimately affect the price. Zales’ line of wedding bands ranges in metals — platinum, gold, white gold and titanium — and in detail, from plain to diamond-studded bands.
5. REHEARSAL DINNER
Average cost: $1,153
These dinners traditionally have been hosted by the groom’s family following the wedding rehearsal. The dinner’s purpose is typically to welcome family and out-of-town guests and also to say thanks to those involved with the wedding ceremony. These days, anything goes for a rehearsal dinner: They can be decadent and extravagant and incorporate all of the wedding guests, or they can be a simple barbecue in someone’s backyard, with just family and the wedding party. Either way, they can tug at the purse strings, no matter who shells out the cash.
6. FLOWERS (CEREMONY AND RECEPTION)
Average cost: $1,121
Anthony Brownie, a New York City-based floral and events designer, noted that a new trend is for vendors to create the design and layout of the entire event. “It isn’t just ‘I like pink’ anymore,” he said. “People have specific ideas about the way they want to convey their styles to their friends and families.” In addition to flowers, table arrangements often include candles, mirrors, beads — even sculptures. Another movement in the floral industry is to use seasonal flowers year-round. “They can be shipped in from all over the world. But it’s gonna cost you,” Brownie said.
7. MOVIES-VIDEOGRAPHY
Average cost: $907
It’s the digital age, and videography’s status has certainly climbed. Couples are more willing today to drop hundreds on a professional to shoot their wedding and reception, to ensure every uncaptured moment by the photographers was indeed captured by the videographers. As digital technology advances, products such as wireless microphones, DVDs (versus clunky VHS tapes) and computer editing programs are hitting the market, so vendors can provide clients with the most polished, finished products of their weddings. Just like a movie.
8. WEDDING DRESS
Average cost: $887
It’s what every newly engaged gal does: She picks up scads of magazines at stores and flips through the pages endlessly, searching for the ultimate wedding gown. With fashion designers constantly upping the antes on their collections — Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera and Badgley Mischka among them — the average price for a wedding gown will likely increase. But that includes only the dress itself. All other adornments are sold separately.
9. RECEPTION MUSIC
Average cost: $876
Music can be anything the couple wants: from one violin to a 10-piece jazz ensemble to an overly chatty DJ on the dance floor (or, of course, the polka band). Sometimes vendors — namely DJs — will encourage the couple to provide a list of songs they want played over the contracted period of time. Don’t forget to provide the “Do Not Play” list, as well. Otherwise, songs such as“Macarena” and “Hokey Pokey” could send everyone running to the rest rooms.
10. BRIDAL ATTENDANTS’ APPAREL
Average cost: $765
Let’s not discount the value of the bridal party dresses. Attendants’ gown fashions are just as hot of a commodity as the bridal gowns, especially with designers such as Jim Hjelm and BCBG Max Azria providing dresses that could easily upstage the bride. The study found that 77 percent of the time, bridesmaids paid for their own dresses, versus 10 percent of the time when brides purchased it for them. Brides and bridesmaids shared the cost the remaining 13 percent of the time. Total average cost is based on the combined total of five attendants for the bride.
Source: Fairchild Bridal Group Infobank