2020’s Best Places to Get Married
With couples spending an average of over $38,000 on their wedding and the industry bringing in $78 billion in revenue in 2019.
The personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s Best Places to Get Married as well as accompanying videos.
To help couples find the most wedding-friendly destinations, WalletHub compared more than 180 of the biggest U.S. cities across 27 key indicators of cost-effectiveness, convenience and enjoyment. The data set ranges from average wedding cost to venues and event spaces per capita to weather.
| Best Places to Get Married in the U.S. | |
| 1. Orlando, FL | 11. Mobile, AL |
| 2. Las Vegas, NV | 12. Tucson, AZ |
| 3. El Paso, TX | 13. Birmingham, AL |
| 4. Atlanta, GA | 14. Albuquerque, NM |
| 5. Miami, FL | 15. New Orleans, LA |
| 6. Tampa, FL | 16. Cincinnati, OH |
| 7. Tulsa, OK | 17. Los Angeles, CA |
| 8. Boise, ID | 18. Chattanooga, TN |
| 9. Las Cruces, NM | 19. Scottsdale, AZ |
| 10. Austin, TX | 20. Oklahoma City, OK |
Best vs. Worst
- El Paso, Texas, has the lowest average wedding cost, $12,633, which is 3.3 times lower than in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the city with the highest at $41,457.
- Orlando, Florida, has the most event planners per capita, 98, which is 16.3 times more than in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the city with the fewest at 6.
- Yonkers, New York, has the most photographers per capita, 239, which is 47.8 times more than in Laredo, Texas, the city with the fewest at 5.
- San Francisco has the most musicians per capita, 19, which is 73.1 times more than in Wichita, Kansas, the city with the fewest at 0.26.
Ask the Experts
Marriage is not only a big life decision, but it also can be a hefty financial commitment, because how much money you have usually determines the extravagance and location of the wedding. But some couples have far fewer resources to spend on their special day. For advice on such matters and how to boost the local economy through the wedding business, we turned to a panel of experts in family studies, personal finance and local administration. Click on the experts’ profiles to read their bios and thoughts on the following key questions:
- What factors should couples consider when setting a budget for their wedding?
- How should a couple decide where to get married?
- What tips do you have for a couple planning a wedding and hoping to stay on budget?
- Weddings can often be an economic boost to local businesses. What can local authorities do to encourage weddings in their communities?
Methodology
In order to identify the best and worst cities in which to tie the knot, WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across three key dimensions: 1) Costs, 2) Facilities & Services and 3) Activities & Attractions.
We examined those dimensions using 27 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for weddings. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.
We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.
Costs – Total Points: 60
- Average Wedding Cost: Triple Weight (~30.00 Points)
- Price of a Three-Star Hotel Room: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
- Restaurant-Meal Costs: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
Note: “Restaurant Meal” refers to a three-course meal for two. - Prevalence of Affordable Wedding Logistics: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/
