Dallas weddings have gotten more expensive
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Inflation and high demand are driving up the price of weddings, as everything from music to flowers to makeup gets more expensive.
- In North Texas, the average cost of a wedding has increased about 14% since 2019.
The big picture: Almost every aspect of planning, hosting and attending weddings is getting pricier, write Axios' Erica Pandey and Carly Mallenbaum.
Zoom in: An average wedding in Dallas-Fort Worth cost $28,000 last year, per data from The Knot.
- Yes, but: The average cost here is still slightly lower than the national average of $30,000.
Details: The average cost of a wedding venue has increased 7% nationwide since 2019.
- In Dallas, venue costs can range from $3,000 to $30,000, per Brides.
- The publication picked the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden as its top venue for 2023, with fees starting at $8,000.
Of note: The cost of local weddings has increased while the average guest list has decreased. In 2019, the average guest list was 141. Last year, it was 111.
The intrigue: Even guests are going into wedding debt.
- 40% of people who have attended weddings in the past five years have taken on debt to be there, per a recent LendingTree survey.
- That jumps to 62% if they were also in the bridal party — which comes with additional obligations, like showers and bachelor and bachelorette parties.
What's next: Some would-be guests got a reprieve. About 39% of couples surveyed by The Knot said they cut costs by trimming the guest list.
- They cut their guest list by an average of 25 people last year to save money.