Wedding trivia

All the matrimonial factoids you’ll never need … but hey, it beats talking about the weather or dredging up embarrassing stories about the best man. The following info was culled from Hallmark.com:

The nitty-gritty

• Weddings are a $25.3 billion industry.

• For the past 20 years, 2.25 million to 2.40 million weddings have taken place each year in the United States, a third of them remarriages.

• The average engagement is 16 months.

• An average of 189 guests attend a wedding.

• The average cost of a wedding is $20,000 to $25,000.

• The average ring costs $2,000.

• 85 percent of weddings are held in a church or synagogue.

• About 15 percent of weddings include ethnic customs.

• More than half of all weddings take place in the afternoon.

The lovely couple

• The average first-time bride was 22 in 1980, 25 in 1990, and 25.1 in 2000.

• The average age of remarrying brides was 32 in 1980, 35 in 1990, and 34 in 2000.

• The average age of today’s first-time groom is 26.8; 37+ for the remarrying groom.

• Half of all adults in the United States are married.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Alli Marshall
Alli Marshall has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years and loves live music, visual art, fiction and friendly dogs. She is the winner of the 2016 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize and the author of the novel "How to Talk to Rockstars," published by Logosophia Books. Follow me @alli_marshall

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.