America’s Wedding Costs in 2025 — What Couples Really Spend (and Why It’s So Expensive)

In 2024, 47.1% of US households were headed by married couples, the second-lowest share on record after 2022 at 46.8%. The contrast with the postwar peak is stark as in 1949, 78.8% of households were headed by married couples. The decline is often pointed to economic inequality and reduced financial outlook for younger adults, and the rising costs associated with weddings are more deterrent for couples considering marriage. 

According to The Knot, the national average price tag for a wedding now stands at $33,000. with the average cost per guest reaching $284. Wedding Report data also suggests that when luxury events are filtered out, then the median wedding rate is much lower at $13,195 dollars. Most couples, based on budget disclosures, planning sessions and survey responses, say their workable range falls between 20,000 and 30,000 dollars, although geography and guest count exert a significant influence. In the U.S., New Jersey tops the list as the most expensive at an average wedding cost of 55,000 dollars. 
The Zola Wedding Cost Index consistently finds that venues and catering dominate spending categories: venues account for 17% of total budgets at an average of 8,573 dollars, while catering represents about 14% at an average of 6,927 dollars. Unsurprisingly, guest count plays an outsized role in shaping overall expenses. The Knot also found that for about 89 guests, couples spend about $15,000; those in the $15,000 to $40,000 range hosted around 118; and weddings exceeding $40,000 included about 142 attendees. At the same time, financial platforms such as SoFi  Brides interpret the data to suggest that many Millennials are spending far more than other generations, with totals exceeding 50,000 dollars. 

A 2023 survey by NerdWallet and Zola found that 70% of engaged Americans experienced financial difficulty during the planning process. Civic Science also shows that fewer Americans intend to marry in 2025. Only 4% say they plan to have a wedding in 2025, down from 7% last year. Another 5% report having married already this year, which is one percentage point below the same period in 2024. Couples are no more eager to commit to future dates either, with 8% deferring plans to later years, and among those who will marry, 44% say they will forgo a reception entirely, the highest share recorded since tracking began in 2022. 
In light of this, Gen Z is arriving at adulthood in a context shaped by persistent financial strain, ranging from rising rents and grocery prices to wages that have not kept pace with living costs. Within that framework, saving for a traditional wedding can feel unrealistic, which explains the shift toward much smaller celebrations of 10 to 50 guests. Cultural trends mirror this movement at scale, a New York Times article notes a renewed interest in courthouse ceremonies, and Pinterest’s trend report a 637% increase in searches for civil ceremony photography from 2023 to 2024. Google Trends also shows a marked rise in courthouse wedding searches at the start of 2025. The Manhattan Marriage Bureau also recorded a 22% increase in annual marriages from 2022 to 2024. Nearly 30% of couples now prefer intimate ceremonies instead of traditional receptions searches for elope weddings have risen 83% in 2024. 
The shift away from large, elaborate weddings toward smaller, more practical celebrations reflects a deeper reassessment of how couples today prioritize financial security, personal meaning and long-term planning. In the future, traditional weddings are likely to become an exception rather than the expectation.