Getting married? Get ready to pay more for that wedding, thanks to inflation

BOSTON — With prime wedding season underway, couples nationwide are dealing with inflation driving up the cost.

Wedding experts say everything is trending upward, and that magical day is now more costly than ever.

Bay State resident Kelley Kennedy knows it all too well. She just got married in May.

“It just all went together perfectly,” Kennedy said.

While Swifties were lining up at Gillette Stadium in torrential downpours to see Taylor Swift, Kelley was tying the knot, but she was able to save $10,000.

“Anyone planning a wedding would probably say that’s a lot of money because things are just really expensive now. So just really sticking to what we prioritized in the beginning, and then executing on that and not forgetting what we originally thought when we started, was really helpful,” Kennedy said.

According to online wedding registry Zola, wedding expenses are slightly up from last year due to inflation.

Massachusetts ranks as the fourth most expensive state to get married.

“I would say the most expensive things weren’t necessarily the things that i thought when we first started planning our wedding,” Kennedy said.

And that’s flowers.

Planner Julie Riley with Something Bleu Weddings said don’t be shocked by those invoices. Sometimes flowers come from different countries and you’re paying a design fee.

“I definitely speak with clients about trying to repurpose their ceremony florals into the wedding, you know, the reception design, as much as possible,” Riley said.

Other pocket pinchers are the venue choice, location, and food and beverage costs. Plus with the pandemic winding down, couples want larger weddings.

“You don’t want to be venue poor where you’ve overspent on your venue, and your food and beverage, and then there’s really no budget left to have a band or other priority things they might want,” Riley said.

The easiest way to combat this? Pick the right venue.

Instead of choosing downtown Boston as your location, try the North Shore or the South Shore.

You can also lower your guest count to help with food and beverage costs.

Riley says a wedding in downtown Boston could cost you upwards of $150,000.

And some folks may think that they’re saving money by thinking thinking they can just get married in a backyard. Riley says to stay away from those as they tend to cost more.

A winter wedding package is also a good alternative.

According to Zola, average wedding expenses for couples getting married in 2023 total around $29,000, up slightly from $28,000 in 2022.

Here is a breakdown of projected average spending on weddings in 2023 in some areas:

Washington, D.C.: $45,400

New Jersey: $44,219

New York: $43,863

Massachusetts: $40,097

As of 2023, this is the average cost of a wedding in the largest American metros:

New York City: $43,536

San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose: $37,284

Boston: $35,902

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2023 Cox Media Group