Average cost of wedding ceremony costs $29000 - up $1,000 from a year ago ... trends now

The wedding boom of 2022 might be over following a glut of nuptials after years of pandemic delay, but the cost of getting married continues to rise with a typical ceremony now costing couples $29,000 on average compared to $28,000 last year. 

In 2019, before the sudden rush of couples tying the knot, the average cost was around $24,700.

The average cost of holding a wedding was also a lot higher in northeastern states including Washington, D.C., ($45,400), New Jersey ($44,200) and Massachusetts ($40,000). 

Weddings in the south of the country appear to cost half as much with the average cost  nuptials in Mississippi ($25,000), Kentucky ($24,500), Alabama ($20,000). The cheapest place in the country to get hitched is Alaska with the average cost about $12,000.

But no matter the location, the increase in wedding expenses can largely be attributed to the escalating costs faced by vendors due to inflationary pressures.

One of the most significant price increases has been that of entertainment with DJ's now charging 25 percent more between 2019-2022.

Others who lost colossal amounts of work during the pandemic have also put their their rates including makeup artists and hairstylists with a 20 percent and 18 percent rise, respectively.

Even items to decorate venues have gone up with flowers up by 20 percent over the three year period.

Wedding dresses have also risen by 19 percent over the same time frame. All the aforementioned categories have risen more than the cumulative rate of inflation of 14 percent. inflation

Other wedding essentials which have gone up but by less than inflation include photographers - with rates going up 8 percent.