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Question?

Reader Question:
What is the average cost of a wedding?

Source: kadeeswedding.wordpress.com

The average cost of a wedding has changed significantly in the last three years. We reported numbers from the Wedding Report, which is a commonly quoted wedding statistics company. In 2009, it was reported that the average cost was about $19,580 compared to 2007′s average at more than $28,000. But the national average doesn’t mean much to anyone since the cost of a wedding in a metropolitan area is very different than the a wedding in a remote area.

I was digging through my archives and found a site that tells you the average cost of a wedding by zip code. Although this site doesn’t get the recognition of the Wedding Report, you don’t have to pay to see the details of the averages. You can even get their estimate on how much you would spend based on items you plan to purchase and your zip code.

What do you do with this information? It helps guide you with expectations but remember that there are many factors to the cost of a wedding. For instance, there are some really nice and expensive locations in remote areas, and you could find them in the same zip code as a very inexpensive wedding venues. The site also outlines what’s included in their calculation of the cost of a wedding.

When you search for your zip code, does (or did) your wedding fit into their statistics?

The Wedding Report, which is the only wedding statistics group I know, reports that the cost of weddings dropped 10.2% in 2009 from the previous year. What does that mean for you? Well, if you haven’t been in the wedding industry for the last couple years, then you won’t know if vendors have dropped their prices to reflect a bride’s willingness to pay. If you have a wedding planner helping you, they can give you the skinny and tell you if you’re getting a good or reasonable deal. But if you’re not using a wedding planner, it simply means that there is negotiating room for you. And knowing is half the battle. :P