According to The Knot, the average cost of a wedding hit an all-time high last year of $35,329. That's almost $3,000 more than a year ago, and doesn't even include the honeymoon. Here are seven more stats from their annual survey . . .
1. The most expensive place to get married in the U.S. is still Manhattan at $78,464. The least expensive is Arkansas, where the average wedding costs $19,522.
2. The average number of guests dropped from 149 to 141. So we're inviting fewer people and STILL spending more.
3. On average, the bride's parents pay for 44% of it. The bride and groom cover 42% of the costs. The groom's parents cover 13%. And 2% comes from other people.
4. 20% of couples had destination weddings last year. The top spots were Hawaii, California, Florida, the Caribbean, and Mexico.
5. The average wedding party had 10 people in it. Five bridesmaids, and five groomsmen.
6. 78% of couples had a photo booth at their wedding, 24% had a signature cocktail, and 8% had FIREWORKS. New trends include cigar-rolling stations, and live dancers.
7. 19% of grooms and 15% of brides got drunk at their own wedding.