The Knot Inc. (NASDAQ: KNOT), the leading lifestage media company with
the top two wedding websites TheKnot.com
and WeddingChannel.com,
today released the results of its annual Real Weddings Survey, which
surveyed nearly 19,000 U.S. couples married in 2010. TheKnot.com &
WeddingChannel.com 2010 Real Weddings Survey captures detailed feedback
on wedding budget, style preferences, event characteristics and other
key information related to the bridal demographic.
?Brides remain committed to planning a luxurious,
memorable event and are willing to spend despite the state of the
economy,? said Carley Roney, editor in chief of The Knot Inc. ?In fact,
approximately 1 in 5 brides are spending more than $30,000 on their
wedding, and 12% of brides are spending more than $40,000.?
Key Average Wedding Statistics
-
Wedding Spend (excluding honeymoon): $26,984
-
Most Expensive Area to Get Married (excluding honeymoon): NYC
(Manhattan), $70,030
-
Least Expensive Area to Get Married (excluding honeymoon): Utah,
$13,214
-
Wedding Dress Spend: $1,099
-
Percentage of Destination Weddings: 24%
-
Bride's Age: 29
-
Groom's Age: 31
-
Number of Guests: 141
-
Average Wedding Spend (on a per guest basis): $194
-
Number of Bridesmaids: 4
-
Number of Groomsmen: 4
-
Length of Engagement: 14 months
-
Most Popular Engagement Month: December (16%)
-
Most Popular Wedding Month: June (15%)
-
Most Popular Wedding Color: White/Ivory (43%)
2010 Average Wedding Budget Breakdown
|
|
|
|
Category
|
|
2010 National Average Spend
|
Overall Wedding (excluding honeymoon)
|
|
$26,984
|
Ceremony Site
|
|
$1,393
|
Reception Venue
|
|
$12,124
|
Reception Band
|
|
$3,081
|
Reception DJ
|
|
$900
|
Photographer
|
|
$2,320
|
Videographer
|
|
$1,463
|
Wedding Gown
|
|
$1,099
|
Florist/Décor
|
|
$1,988
|
Invitations
|
|
$351
|
Wedding Cake
|
|
$540
|
Ceremony Musicians
|
|
$503
|
Catering (cost per head)
|
|
$61
|
Wedding Day Transportation
|
|
$667
|
Favors
|
|
$222
|
Rehearsal Dinner
|
|
$1,127
|
Engagement Ring
|
|
$5,392
|
Figures based on respondents who hired a professional vendor
for the service.
|
Top 20 Most Expensive Wedding Areas
1.
|
|
NYC (Manhattan): $70,730
|
2.
|
|
NY (Long Island, Hudson Valley and NYC Outer Boroughs): $51,811,
$45,695, $44,718
|
3.
|
|
Northern/Central NJ and Southern NJ: $49,347, $36,694
|
4.
|
|
Rhode Island: $41,169
|
5.
|
|
Philadelphia, PA: $36,294
|
6.
|
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Santa Barbara/Ventura, CA, and Los Angeles, CA: $36,233, $33,745
|
7.
|
|
Boston, MA: $35,458
|
8.
|
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Chicago, IL: $35,389
|
9.
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|
Connecticut: $35,197
|
10.
|
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Southern Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas):
$33,810
|
11.
|
|
Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland: $33,727
|
12.
|
|
Orange County/Inland Empire, CA, and San Diego, CA: $31,954, $30,687
|
13.
|
|
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, and California/Nevada (Sacramento, Tahoe
and Reno): $31,173, $26,567
|
14.
|
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Baltimore, MD: $30,073
|
15.
|
|
Houston, TX: $29,129
|
16.
|
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Pittsburgh, PA: $28,408
|
17.
|
|
Dallas, TX: $27,823
|
18.
|
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Vermont: $27,333
|
19.
|
|
Hawaii: $26,722
|
20.
|
|
Austin/San Antonio, TX: $26,329
|
Interesting Regional Differences
TheKnot.com & WeddingChannel.com 2010 Real Weddings Survey can be broken
down on a region-by-region basis across more than 80 markets. Regional
highlights include:
-
Budget: New York City (Manhattan)
has the highest average wedding budget ($70,730), and Utah has the
lowest average wedding budget ($13,214), excluding honeymoon only.
-
Age: New
York City (Manhattan and Outer Boroughs) has the oldest brides (32
years), whereas West Texas has the youngest brides (24 years), on
average.
-
Engagements: Northeast brides have the longest engagements
(15.5 months), while brides from Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi
have the shortest (12 months), on average.
-
Wedding Size: On average, Nebraska and Iowa brides still have
the largest number of wedding guests (213 and 200, respectively), and Hawaii
and Nevada still have the smallest number of wedding guests (82 and
59, respectively).
-
Wedding Style: Hawaii has the most casual weddings, while
Northern/Central New Jersey has the most formal (black-tie) weddings.
-
Economy's Effect: Brides in New Mexico, and California and
Nevada (Sacramento,
Tahoe and Reno)
were the most affected by the economy, while brides in Alaska and
Nebraska were the least affected.
-
Registry: Brides in Toledo,
Ohio, Kansas and Minnesota are the most likely to register for wedding
gifts (96%).
Top 10 2010 National Highlights
TOP SPENDERS. New York City Tri-State Area, New Jersey and Rhode
Island Brides Are Top Wedding Spenders, Spending More Than $40,000 on
Their Wedding. Nationwide, 12% of brides spend more than
$40,000 on their wedding event, and approximately 1 in 5 brides spend
more than $30,000 on their wedding event, not including the engagement
ring or honeymoon.
ECONOMY. Economy's Decreasing Impact. Less than a third (31%) of
brides said the economy affected their wedding
budget a decrease from 34% in 2009. However, when it does come to
lowering the wedding budget, one successful cost-cutting tactic used by
brides is to trim the number of wedding guests 141 was the average in
2010, compared with 149 in 2009. Despite the decrease in wedding guests,
wedding standards weren't affected, as the average wedding spend per
guest remained the same as it was in 2009 $194.
BRIDE & GROOM SNAPSHOT. Couples Are Older and Cohabitating. Not
only are couples older at the time of their wedding compared with
previous years (29 for brides and 31 for grooms in 2010 versus 28 for
brides and 30 for grooms in 2009 and 2008), but more of them are living
together prior to marriage nearly three-quarters (74%) compared with
70% in 2009 and 2008.
LOCATION. More Destination Weddings. Destination
weddings rose the past two years, with an increase of 20% since
2008. In fact, approximately 1 in 4 couples considered their wedding a
destination wedding in 2010. This, in turn, affected the percentage of
guests needing overnight accommodations 42% compared with 36% in 2008.
CEREMONY. More Ceremonies Outdoors; Less in Houses of Worship. Religious
institutions, such as churches, synagogues and mosques, dropped off by
10% as more couples opted to hold their wedding
ceremonies outdoors. In 2010, 43% of ceremonies were held outdoors,
compared with 39% in 2009 an increase of 10%.
COLOR: Purple's Popularity. Purple
is the new ?it? color, with 1 out of 5 brides (21%) choosing it for
their wedding a 50% increase since 2008. What's losing popularity with
brides, though? Brown,
which decreased by 16% since last year.
ENTERTAINMENT. Guest Entertainment on the Rise. Having guests
merely attend a wedding isn't enough anymore. Custom guest
entertainment, such as photo booths and comedians, is on the rise, with
15% of brides incorporating additional guest entertainment into their
wedding (up from 11% in 2009). In addition, 13% of brides have
interactive food stations, such as a sommelier with wine tastings, a
sushi chef or a cheesemonger.
ONLINE RESOURCES. Online Wedding Planning and Execution Continues to
Increase. From using social media to communicate wedding details (a
78% increase since 2008) and creating/sending save-the-dates
or invitations
online (a 40% increase since 2008) to using an online RSVP service (a
31% increase since 2008) or setting up personal
wedding websites (a 23% increase since 2008), brides are
increasingly using online wedding
planning tools to prepare for the big day.
PLANNING. How much and how stressful. As the wedding approaches,
brides spend more time wedding
planning. In the last three months leading up to their wedding,
brides spend an average of 11 hours a week planning. Nearly 50% also
found that planning their wedding was more stressful than they expected.
Nearly 1 in 3 hire or use an event/wedding
planner, with more than half of those brides hiring them for day-of
coordination (52%).
DESSERTS REIGN. Not just wedding cakes. A majority of brides
(68%) have a traditional tiered wedding
cake; however, other desserts like a groom's cake (20%), candy (14%)
and cupcakes (13%) are also served.
About TheKnot.com & WeddingChannel.com 2010 Real Weddings Study
The 2010
Real Weddings Study captured responses from nearly 19,000 U.S.
brides married between January 1 and December 31, 2010; respondents were
recruited throughout the year from TheKnot.com
and WeddingChannel.com
membership, which represents nearly 80% of brides nationwide. Brides
received survey invitations shortly after their wedding date and were
asked a comprehensive series of questions about the event and their
planning process. All qualified respondents:
-
Were 18 or older
-
Had a wedding in 2010
Survey respondents represent a variety of ethnic, education and income
levels, and are geographically dispersed across the country. The survey
and data management partner for the study was Decipher, Inc.
Additional data highlights are also available at TheKnotInc.com/tkmi,
while complete custom analyses and reports are available for purchase by
contacting insights@theknot.com.
About The Knot Inc.
The Knot Inc. (NASDAQ: KNOT; http://www.theknot.com)
is the premier media company devoted to weddings, pregnancy and
everything in between, providing young women with the trusted
information, products and advice they need to guide them through the
most transformative events of their lives. Our family of premium brands
began with the industry's #1 wedding brand, The Knot, and has grown to
include WeddingChannel.com, The Nest and The Bump. Our groundbreaking
community platforms and incomparable content have ignited passionate
communities across the country. The Knot Inc. is recognized by the
industry for being innovative in all media -- from the web to social
media and mobile, magazines and books, and television and video. For our
advertisers and partners, The Knot Inc. offers the consummate
opportunity to connect with our devoted communities as they make the
most important decisions of their lives. Founded in 1996, The Knot Inc.
is made up of four major revenue categories: online sponsorship and
advertising, registry services, merchandise and publishing. The company
is publicly listed on NASDAQ (KNOT) and is headquartered in New York
City.

The Knot Inc.
Jacalyn Lee, 212-219-8555 x1013
Public Relations
Director
jacalyn@theknot.com