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Coast to Coast, What Real Couples Are Spending on Weddings in 2016 (The Answers Might Surprise You)

Taryn Williford
Taryn Williford
Taryn is a writer, editor, content strategist, and homebody from Atlanta. I might have helped you declutter your apartment through the magic of a well-paced email newsletter. Or maybe you know me from The Pickle Factory Loft on Instagram.
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updated May 3, 2019
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It’s oft-quoted that the average cost of a wedding in the United States is around $30,000. While that might be true, you have to imagine that the seven-figure Vergara-Manganiello nuptials of the world might skew that number quite a bit. Real weddings are expensive, but maybe not as expensive as you think.

Thumbtack recently released their 2016 wedding report, detailing the actual costs of weddings across the country, based on information gathered from the brides and grooms that use their online service to find and get quotes from vendors and wedding professionals.

The results? They’re lower than I thought. Maybe I was stuck on that $30k number that gets thrown around all the time, but I was surprised to see that of the five states that Thumbtack zeroed in on (which cover 34% of the population and eight of the 10 most populated cities), none of the wedding cost averages broke $17,ooo. Note that their report covers only “essential” expenses, so budget for a wedding dress, rings or a honeymoon haven’t been factored in yet.

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California Wedding Costs

Average cost of a real wedding in California: $12,371
Average number of guests: 50-100

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(Image credit: Thumbtack Weddings Report)

Texas Wedding Costs

Average cost of a real wedding in Texas: $11,177
Average number of guests: 50-100

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(Image credit: Thumbtack Weddings Report)

Illinois Wedding Costs

Average cost of a real wedding in Illinois: $12,626
Average number of guests: 100-150

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(Image credit: Thumbtack Weddings Report)

Georgia Wedding Costs

Average cost of a real wedding in Georgia: $10,693
Average number of guests: 50-100

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(Image credit: Thumbtack Weddings Report)

New York Wedding Costs

Average cost of a real wedding in New York: $16,305
Average number of guests: 100-150

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(Image credit: Thumbtack Weddings Report)

Check out the Thumbtack report to see more about wedding costs and what’s trending for weddings in 2016.

Have you been married? What did you spend on your wedding day?

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