The Average Cost of a Wedding in 2017 Will Make You Want to Head Straight to City Hall

We already knew that wedding expenses were no joke, but we're now close to reconsidering our dream nuptials thanks to 2017's figures. The Knot released its annual Real Weddings Study, which breaks down the average amount 13,000 US couples spent on their big days last year. The survey found that the average wedding cost was $33,391 — and that's excluding the honeymoon!

How is that possible? Turns out that the biggest chunk of participating couples' budgets were spent on the wedding venue ($15,163), followed by the engagement ring ($5,764) and reception band ($4,019). But there are a ton of other details to keep in mind, also:

Results also showed that the most expensive place to tie the knot in 2017 was in Manhattan ($76,944), while the most affordable location was in New Mexico ($17,584). Here are some additional statistics from the study that we found interesting.

It's no wonder that more couples are opting for low-key, intimate weddings or choosing to elope at city hall instead!