Cleveland weddings are $7,000 cheaper than the national average
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Weddings nationwide will cost more in 2025, but couples can get hitched for a lot less in Cleveland, according to the wedding planning website Zola.
By the numbers: The average American wedding this year is expected to cost about ​​$36,000, according to a Zola survey of about 6,000 engaged couples.
- That's up from $33,000 in 2024.
Yes, but: The average wedding in the Cleveland area will hover around $29,000, survey results show.
- That's less than half of the typical 2025 wedding in New York ($65,000).
Stunning stat: Only couples surveyed in the Dallas-Ft. Worth and Orlando metros planned to spend less per wedding than in Cleveland.
What they're saying: Allison Cullman, wedding trend and etiquette expert at Zola, says one contributing factor for the ballooning price tag is social media.
- "People spend hours scrolling through an endless sea of inspiration, and oftentimes they find inspiration that costs much more than they initially anticipated," Cullman tells Axios.
💠Sam's thought bubble: I'd always heard, and now believe wholeheartedly, that your wedding can only be two of the following: cheap, fun and easy.
- My wife and I got married in 2015. It was cheap and fun.
More Zola survey findings
Zoom in: Nearly all couples surveyed (90%) say they would be open to using AI to streamline tasks like managing their budget or writing thank-you cards.
- Some (23%) are already using it, up 5% from last year.
No surprise here: Christmas is the most popular date of the year to get engaged, followed by Dec. 23, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
Also not a surprise: The planning workload is lopsided for 85% of couples.
- Most women (81%) reported that the groom spent little to zero time planning.
- And most same-sex couples (68%) said that most of the planning falls on one partner.
💗 The intrigue: Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love" ranks as the top first-dance song.