What Will The Average Wedding Cost in Washington State? The Report for 2024

May through October is considered Wedding Season in the U.S.   If you have a wedding in the family to help plan or pay for, start budgeting for it.

Wedding planning website The Knot has published it's annual survey, The Knot Real Weddings Study of about 9.,300 couples who tied the knot in 2023 in the U.S.

The data is designed to help couples plan their nuptials but provides a snapshot of wedding costs in every state The Knot survey's takeaway is inflation is increasing the overall cost of weddings.

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The Knot survey shows nationwide couples revealed they spent on average, $35,000 in 2023 for the ceremony and reception.  That is a $5,000 increase over the 2022 average,  likely a direct result of inflation and the overall US economic landscape over the past couple of years.  61% of newlyweds said that inflation and the general state of the economy affected their wedding budget and planning.

Destination weddings averaged $41,000 in 2023 vs. $33K for a hometown ceremony.

Couples spent the most in 2022 on the venue, the engagement ring and a live band.

What Did A Wedding Cost In 2023

The Knot Survey broke out average costs for the following US metro areas;

• Seattle/Tacoma, Washington: $32,000
• San Francisco: $51,000
• Los Angeles: $48,000

Now the size of the ceremony and number of guests play a big factor in wedding prices and the survey revealed the average guest list in 2023 was 115 and the cost per guest was $304  The wedding party averaged 8 people.

The average diamond wedding ring is now 1.6 carats.

Read the complete study here for a look at wedding trends in 2024