MACON, Ga. — It's almost time for wedding bells and reception parties in Central Georgia! The start of wedding season launches in April. But like almost all things in the past year, inflation has affected the wedding industry.
2024 couples might have to shell out more money this year to have the wedding of their dreams.
Nykesia Lee and Adrian Bentley are currently planning for a 2025 destination wedding, after getting engaged last year on Christmas. They're most excited to get their friends and family together- but they already know, it's going to come at a cost.
"It's been, I can say overwhelming. At some points I was like I don't even know if I wanna do the big wedding type thing because the prices are- they're very pricey," Lee said.
She said one venue they looked at in Florida gave them a quote of $80,000 for a day rental.
This couple and many others came to a wedding expo on Sunday at Emerson at Plum to shop around and compare prices for their upcoming wedding.
"A lot of stuff we'll be doing on our own. Like DIY stuff. TikTok has a lot of ideas, so I've been saving stuff from there," Lee said.
They might not be the only couple getting creative with wedding costs. According to wedding company Zola, couples spent an average of $29,000 per wedding in 2023. This year, they project the average cost to rise to $33,000.
Danielle Rutland is a wedding planner and consultant with From This Moment.
"Everybody wants that special touch, but it's like, gonna cost you now," she said.
Among her clients, she said she's noticed an even bigger price hike.
"Just in a year-and-a-half, it's been like a $20,000 difference in venues, catering, florists," Rutland said.
She recommends all couples, regardless of budget, make a list of their non-negotiables going into the wedding planning process.
"What I do is I work with them to try to figure out what's most important. That way they can still enjoy their wedding and have the things that they want. But maybe we can find ways to save in other areas," Rutland said.
According to Zola, summertime and early fall see the most weddings. Last year, September was the most popular month for couples to tie the knot.