[Music] If you are engaged and you're starting To plan a wedding don't be surprised if You see higher prices for venues flowers Catering and pretty much anything else Involved in planning for the big day According to the wedding report a Research company that collects data on The industry the average cost for a Wedding in the United States was over 29 000 last year compared to about twenty Thousand dollars big jump in 2020. Kelsey Christie joins us now to discuss She's a senior editor for inside Weddings magazine uh I was saying this earlier uh guys that I Am like I'm so against the wedding industry I Think it's become the biggest Scam it is in this country you don't see It anywhere I've lived in six countries Around the world you just do not see the Markup as soon as you say it's a wedding Versus a birthday party or something Exactly so it is the way you plan them Is so uniquely American compared to the Way you see it in other countries Um so so that's where I'm coming from The jump but now you add on to this Kelsey that weddings are becoming more Expensive like what's going on here yes Yep so obviously Americans are seeing Inflation everywhere Um and so everywhere normal you know
Everyday Americans who aren't planning a Wedding are seeing inflation we're also Seeing it at weddings SO gas prices That's going to be affecting weddings Grocery prices that affect your food and Catering so just couples are trying to Find ways to cut back while still having The wedding that they envisioned and it Is possible Um it's just you have to take certain Steps and not cut Corners per se but Find out where you want to splurge and Where you want to stay oh that's good Advice and be I learned be creative when You got to stretch a dollar which is What I had to do Um so speaking of that where in the Country is it the most and the least Expensive to have a wedding So think kind of like how rent or cost Of living would be so most expensive It's going to be New York California Um least expensive maybe more rural Areas Iowa Kansas Oklahoma Um but then again two you don't want to Put yourself in a box either because There are places in New York or California that may be less expensive Um and then there's places in Rural America that are going to be more Expensive I think Utah was on the list Of least expensive but then for example We have a beautiful wedding in our next Issue in Deer Valley so if you're by a
Resort area it's going to be more Expensive uh so uh I don't know you've Been married for a couple of years I'm Only three years into this but um we got Married on the beach it was free to get Married on the beach really yeah we're You know we got dressed up and we went Out to the beach yeah but yeah hold on a Second we need a qualifier here it's Pandemicy so you can be like yeah you're Not invited pandemic Again Before the pandemic we thought we'll Just get married in Central Park and you Just had to get a permit Um and uh it was you know and we had my Family was there and you know engaged my Sister-in-law to be the photographer That was free right the most plans the Expensive thing we paid for was catering For dinner yeah right way to cater very Nice catered dinner yeah um that's how I Did it what are some ways couples can Save money on their wedding no that's a Great way to do it I was going to Suggest that like if you wanted to elope Or something and then have just kind of A party with your friends after that's a Great way to save money but if you still Want to have that big wedding Um the best way to do it is just kind of I would say it seems counterintuitive But hire a wedding planner because They're going to have good relationships
Obviously figure out a wedding planner That fits within your budget but they Will help you stay on track they have The relationships that it takes to Figure out you know where you can cut Back where you can't look at unique Venues hotels and resorts are typically Pretty expensive though there are some That are less expensive than others Depending on where you go Um but like you said the beach Um sometimes private Estates but then That gets tricky too because if you're Out in a state they have to bring Everything in even if you're having a Backyard wedding again you have to bring In all those rentals when the hotel Might just already have those available So Be creative Um cut back on wedding favors I would Say and then instead offer more dessert Options or a signature cocktail adding Favors what's that didn't you give Anything to your cheers the gift was our Love my guess guys Uh Kelsey uh Chrissy great uh advice we Were created we had ours at a gallery And it was a lot cheaper because we Didn't have to stick with a single Caterer yeah so I have that a lot thank You so much for your tips thanks Kelsey Of course
