A new study has revealed the best and the worst places to get married in the United States, based on multiple factors such as cost and the availability of wedding services.
The study by WalletHub revealed that American couples spend an average of $35,000 on their wedding day. However, people in some places spend a lot more than others.
WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities to find out which ones are the most friendly to people's pockets and which are the most convenient for wedding day plans.
The 26 key indicators of wedding-friendliness include price and the availability of venues and hotels. Based on these factors, Orlando in Florida came out as the best place in the country to get married.
The results of the study reveal that Orlando has a high availability of essential wedding services such as videographers, DJs and flower shops. Additionally, the city has the second-highest number of hotels per capita in the country and "its three-star hotels can be surprisingly cheap for a big city."
In fact, within the top 10 cities listed in the study, four of them are in Florida.
The top 10 cities to get married in the U.S., according to WalletHub, are:
- Orlando, Florida
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Miami, Florida
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Tampa, Florida
- Austin, Texas
- San Fransisco, California
- Houston, Texas
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Meanwhile, the 10 worst cities in the U.S. to get married, based on the metrics used in the study, are:
- Peal City, Hawaii
- Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Warwick, Rhode Island
- South Burlington, Vermont
- Lewiston, Maine
- Oxnard, California
- Fremont, California
- Nashua, New Hampshire
- New Haven, Connecticut
- Chula Vista, California
WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state. They looked at factors under cost, including average wedding cost, the average price of a three hotel star room, average restaurant cost, and the prevalence of affordable wedding logistics.
Meanwhile, facilities and services considered in the study include wedding chapels and churches per capita, venues and event space availability, makeup artists and hair salons, bridal shops and limousine rentals.
The study also looked at the number of attractions in each city for wedding guests to enjoy, as well as their popularity as travel destinations and weather.
The data used to create the ranking were collected as of January 7, 2025, from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Wedding Report, Kayak.com, Numbeo, TripAdvisor, Travbuddy.com, Yelp and WalletHub research.
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo commented: "When weddings can cost tens of thousands of dollars and prices have only become even more outrageously inflated in recent years, it pays to hold your wedding in a city that's affordable, both for those paying for the wedding and for guests who will need to make accommodations. Certain cities also make wedding planning easier with an abundance of options for wedding essentials, from florists to videographers to venues."
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Brian Dillon is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on travel and home. He has ... Read more