Life
How different countries celebrate personal milestones is truly fascinating, and the way people tie the knot is no exception. In fact, how much each country is spending on weddings, and on what in particular, might surprise you. While some places it's all about the photos or the clothes, in other countries, they just want to make sure the party is really rockin'.
A brand new Global Wedding Report done by The Knot, WeddingWire and Bodas.net asked 20,000 couples in 14 countries all about the process of planning their weddings, and which aspects of the big day these lovebirds were willing to shell out on.
“Our extensive research on couples across North America, Latin America, Europe and India found couples have more and more choices for when, where and how to celebrate their love and plan a personalized wedding,” Lauren Goodson, senior director of insights at The Knot Worldwide said in a press release.
While each wedding is, of course, a special and unique affair, there are definitely some very interesting trends that seem to speak volumes about cultural traditions. In some places, the guest list is more important than the pictures, in others, the food more important than the ring. And can you take a guess at the country most likely to make a wedding hashtag?
The countries included in the survey were the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Chile, the UK, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal and India. Take a look below to see who is spending what, all in the name of love.
1
The United States
The United States loves to tie the knot, apparently, and does it for a pretty penny. The average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is, gulp, $29,200. That's a lot of money!
And yes, friends, spoiler at the beginning, here: people in the U.S. are definitely the most likely to use a wedding hashtag. #loveisreal, amirite?
2
Spain
Coming in at a close second, the people of Spain are dropping, on average, a not-to-shabby $23,400 on the big day.
In Spain, the majority of the money is being spent on photos, attire, and music. That photo is going to be hanging up in your house for a long time, hopefully, so you might as well make sure it's a good one.
3
Italy
Italians are also spending a nice chunk of change on the ole commitment celebration, coming in at an average of $22,500. Italy happens to be the second highest country in the survey for incorporating religion into the ceremony, too. So, don't be surprised if you're attending a wedding in Italy and some prayer is involved!
4
Canada
A wedding cost of $21,900 was the norm in Canada, where the average planning time for a wedding is over a year. Around 14 months are spent getting all those details in order. Sort of makes city hall seem like a good idea sometimes, you know?
5
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is shelling out for weddings, too, spending about $19,200 to get the flowers and DJ on fleek, in particular. But UK keeps it relatively intimate, in comparison to other places, with about 104 guests on average. The second lowest guest list count on the survey!
6
France
In France, the average wedding is about $17,600, and no surprise, it is all about the food. The top vendor the French are willing to shell out for is a good caterer. Trust, the guests appreciate that.
7
Portugal
The wedding cost in Portugal is coming in at about $16,700, and they are doing it in cash, too, as they are the country least likely to take out a loan or use credit to pay for the big day.
In Portugal, people are also committed to spending good money on booking a photographer, as it's the number one most popular vendor there.
8
Mexico
In Mexico, the celebration is all about the people. The cost for an average wedding is about $8,600, but they have the second highest guest list, coming in at about 186 people! They just love sharing the love.
9
Peru
Other than the U.S., Peruvians are the second most likely to seek out approval from their partner's parents when asking for their hand. The average cost of a wedding there? About $7,700.
10
Chile
Chileans, who spend about $7,400 on weddings, have a particularly great wedding tradition, IMO. They plan an after-party to the wedding party, called, "la hora loca" — the crazy hour! Can you imagine how rad those parties must be?
11
Brazil
Interesting fact? Couples in Brazil are the least likely to live together pre-marriage. They are spending about $6,600 on their celebration, before getting ready to move in together for the very first time.
12
Argentina
In Argentina, it's on average about $3,700 for a wedding, and one of the most important aspects of the celebration to spend on? The rings! Argentina also happens to be the least likely to seek out approval from parents before popping the question. Independent, indeed!
13
Colombia
The average wedding in Colombia is about $3,300, and it is the country most likely to have a religious ceremony. In fact, about 79 percent of the celebrations center around religion.
14
India
India was a bit of a wildcard when it came to cost, the survey said. The survey noted that "while $15-22K is the midpoint wedding spend for educated couples in India based on U.S. dollars, around 20% will spend more than $45K"
And for the most part, the guest list is huge in India, with around 524 of the couple's closest friends and family in attendance!
If you, too, are planning for your big day, just remember that first and foremost, it's all about spending time with people you love, and, of course, that one person in particular. Whether you're spending ten dollars or a million, just make sure you have a good time, OK?
