I’m not in the habit of re-posting from other sites, but I found the results of Wedding Bells Magazine‘s survey of engaged 
couples really interesting, so I thought I’d share. The editors polled about 1200 engaged readers from February to March, and here are some of the findings (with my colour commentary!):
- Average expected cost of a wedding is $20,129 (up from $19,279 in 2009) ~what recession?
- Budget breakdown based on anticipated costs:
- Reception Venue = $6,922
- Bridal Gown = $1,093
- Bridesmaid Dress = $263
- Bridal/Bridesmaid Shoes = $112
- Wedding Bands = $1,761
- Photographer = $1,727
- Videographer = $754
- Stationery = $302
- Wedding Cake = $324
- Florist/Decor = $821
- Transportation/Limo = $533
- DJ/Musicians = $824
- Guest Favours/Gifts = $343
- Honeymoon = $3,448
- Nearly half of all couples (47%) foot the bill with their own savings, 32% rely on family contributions and 14% take out loans
- Average wedding size is 141 guests
- 9% of couples plan on having a destination wedding
- 73% of couples plan on spending their honeymoon outside of Canada
- 68% of brides will try to use eco-friendly products and services on their wedding day ~LOVE this!
- Almost one quarter of proposals took place during the month of December (top month)
- Average age of an engaged woman is 29
- 90% of brides received a ring at the time of engagement; 31% of couples picked it out together ~An excellent way to make sure you really, truly love that gem that’ll be on your finger for the rest of your life!
- Average length of engagement is 17.5 months ~WOWZA, this seems long for an *average*!
- 74% of couples already live together before getting married
- 68% of brides plan to take their fiancè’s last name
- 26% say a prenup is the way to go ~Remember when George asked Susan for a pre-nup on Seinfeld? Classic.
- 42% think there is nothing wrong with returning a wedding gift for cash ~really? for cash?
- 17% have more disagreements with their fiancè since becoming engaged; yet 54% say passion is up
- Nearly one quarter (22%) admit they are not completely over their ex ~This sounds kind of scandalous at first glance, but “not completely over” could mean SO many things.
- 35% anticipate having disagreements with their in-laws ~this figure seems low to me. These people are becoming your FAMILY—how many of your family members have you NEVER had a disagreement with? Give it a few years.
- Only 8% think that abstaining from sex before marriage is a good idea
- 32% find wedding planning to be more stressful than enjoyable ~CALL ME!
- 76% think their future spouse does his fair share of domestic duties ~“his” fair share? I suppose we can assume that none of the respondents included in these figures were (straight) men. Which begs the question: are straight men not reading wedding planning magazines? Get out of town! ; )
What are your thoughts on these numbers?
Hugs, Jenna
