{
  "reviewedAt": "2026-10-03",
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "cdc",
      "name": "CDC/NCHS national marriage trends, 2000–2023",
      "url": "https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/marriage-divorce/national-marriage-divorce-rates-00-23.pdf",
      "publisher": "CDC/NCHS",
      "period": "2000–2023",
      "population": "Registered marriages, by state of occurrence; provisional counts",
      "retrievedAt": "2026-10-03",
      "notes": "Crude rates per 1,000 total population. 2006 excludes Louisiana; 2013 and 2014 exclude Georgia. Not a count of receptions or paid wedding events."
    },
    {
      "id": "cdc-definitions",
      "name": "CDC marriage and divorce definitions",
      "url": "https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/marriage-divorce.htm",
      "publisher": "CDC/NCHS",
      "period": "2023",
      "population": "US marriages",
      "retrievedAt": "2026-10-03",
      "notes": "Latest observation on the retrieved FastStats page is provisional 2023. Do not label it 2026 marriage volume."
    },
    {
      "id": "census",
      "name": "Census 2025 families and living arrangements",
      "url": "https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/families-and-living-arrangements.html",
      "publisher": "US Census Bureau",
      "period": "1975 and 2025",
      "population": "CPS Annual Social and Economic Supplement",
      "retrievedAt": "2026-10-03",
      "publishedAt": "2025-12-02",
      "notes": "Estimated median age at first marriage by the sex categories published in the release. A sample-based estimate, not the average age of all wedding customers."
    },
    {
      "id": "knot",
      "name": "The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, full report",
      "url": "https://images.theknot.com/rules/2026/the-knot-real-weddings-study-data-read-out-2026.pdf",
      "publisher": "The Knot",
      "period": "Completed 2025 weddings",
      "population": "10,474 adult US couples married January–December 2025",
      "sampleSize": 10474,
      "retrievedAt": "2026-10-03",
      "notes": "Recruited by email from The Knot/WeddingWire membership. Category-specific denominators and confidence intervals are not supplied here. Category spending is not additive. The report also includes ad hoc engaged/newlywed research; do not assign all supplemental findings to the main cohort."
    },
    {
      "id": "knot-method",
      "name": "The Knot study methodology",
      "url": "https://www.theknot.com/content/wedding-data-insights/real-weddings-study",
      "publisher": "The Knot",
      "period": "Completed 2025 weddings",
      "population": "The Knot/WeddingWire survey respondents",
      "sampleSize": 10474,
      "retrievedAt": "2026-10-03",
      "publishedAt": "2026-02-17",
      "notes": "Retrospective platform-member survey. Does not constitute a probability sample of every US marriage."
    },
    {
      "id": "knot-cost",
      "name": "The Knot average wedding cost explainer",
      "url": "https://www.theknot.com/content/average-wedding-cost",
      "publisher": "The Knot",
      "period": "Completed 2025 weddings",
      "population": "2026 Real Weddings Study respondents",
      "sampleSize": 10474,
      "retrievedAt": "2026-10-03",
      "publishedAt": "2026-09-29",
      "notes": "Live explainer states $34,200; PDF states a rounded $34,000 mean and $24,000 median. Retain source-specific precision."
    },
    {
      "id": "zola",
      "name": "Zola 2026 First Look Report",
      "url": "https://www.zola.com/expert-advice/the-first-look-report-2026",
      "publisher": "Zola",
      "period": "Couples planning 2026 weddings",
      "population": "Surveyed engaged couples",
      "retrievedAt": "2026-10-03",
      "notes": "Prospective planning cohort. $36,000 is the report's headline average; not a completed-wedding outcome comparable on identical terms with The Knot's 2025 cohort."
    },
    {
      "id": "zola-method",
      "name": "Zola First Look survey description",
      "url": "https://www.zola.com/expert-advice/topic/wedding-trends/wedding-trends",
      "publisher": "Zola",
      "period": "Couples planning 2026 weddings",
      "population": "More than 11,500 couples getting married in 2026",
      "retrievedAt": "2026-10-03",
      "notes": "Publisher's report index describes more than 11,500 respondents. No recruitment/weighting detail or exact per-question denominator established in the retrieved report."
    },
    {
      "id": "planner",
      "name": "The Knot wedding planner cost and methodology",
      "url": "https://www.theknot.com/content/how-much-do-wedding-planners-charge",
      "publisher": "The Knot",
      "period": "Completed 2025 weddings",
      "population": "Planner-related responses within the 2026 Real Weddings Study",
      "retrievedAt": "2026-10-03",
      "publishedAt": "2026-05-13",
      "notes": "Overall planner average $2,100; full-service $3,800, day-of $1,600, month-of $2,400, destination $2,700. Type-specific samples not disclosed; categories need not have identical scope."
    },
    {
      "id": "cake",
      "name": "The Knot cake cost and methodology",
      "url": "https://www.theknot.com/content/how-much-do-wedding-cakes-cost",
      "publisher": "The Knot",
      "period": "Completed 2025 weddings",
      "population": "Cake-related survey responses",
      "retrievedAt": "2026-10-03",
      "publishedAt": "2026-05-07",
      "notes": "Live cake page reports $540; study PDF category table reports $530. Disclose version discrepancy; no undocumented reconciliation."
    },
    {
      "id": "photo",
      "name": "The Knot photography cost and methodology",
      "url": "https://www.theknot.com/content/average-cost-wedding-photographer",
      "publisher": "The Knot",
      "period": "Completed 2025 weddings",
      "population": "Photography-related survey responses",
      "retrievedAt": "2026-10-03",
      "publishedAt": "2026-05-08",
      "notes": "Confirms $3,000 national average. Do not turn a package price into a measured hourly rate by assuming eight hours."
    },
    {
      "id": "flowers",
      "name": "The Knot flower cost and hiring figures",
      "url": "https://www.theknot.com/content/average-cost-wedding-flowers",
      "publisher": "The Knot",
      "period": "Completed 2025 weddings",
      "population": "Florist-related survey responses",
      "retrievedAt": "2026-10-03",
      "notes": "Confirms $2,800 average, 59% florist hiring and 70% citing price as a top deciding factor. Exact subgroup sizes not disclosed."
    }
  ],
  "marriageTrend": [
    {
      "year": 2000,
      "marriages": 2315000,
      "population": 281421906,
      "rate": 8.2,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2001,
      "marriages": 2326000,
      "population": 284968955,
      "rate": 8.2,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2002,
      "marriages": 2290000,
      "population": 287625193,
      "rate": 8,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2003,
      "marriages": 2245000,
      "population": 290107933,
      "rate": 7.7,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2004,
      "marriages": 2279000,
      "population": 292805298,
      "rate": 7.8,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2005,
      "marriages": 2249000,
      "population": 295516599,
      "rate": 7.6,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2006,
      "marriages": 2193000,
      "population": 294077247,
      "rate": 7.5,
      "note": "Excludes Louisiana",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2007,
      "marriages": 2197000,
      "population": 301231207,
      "rate": 7.3,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2008,
      "marriages": 2157000,
      "population": 304093966,
      "rate": 7.1,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2009,
      "marriages": 2080000,
      "population": 306771529,
      "rate": 6.8,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2010,
      "marriages": 2096000,
      "population": 308745538,
      "rate": 6.8,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2011,
      "marriages": 2118000,
      "population": 311591917,
      "rate": 6.8,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2012,
      "marriages": 2131000,
      "population": 313914040,
      "rate": 6.8,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2013,
      "marriages": 2081301,
      "population": 306136672,
      "rate": 6.8,
      "note": "Excludes Georgia",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2014,
      "marriages": 2140272,
      "population": 308759713,
      "rate": 6.9,
      "note": "Excludes Georgia",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2015,
      "marriages": 2221579,
      "population": 321418820,
      "rate": 6.9,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2016,
      "marriages": 2251411,
      "population": 323127513,
      "rate": 7,
      "note": "Revised Illinois figures",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2017,
      "marriages": 2236496,
      "population": 325719178,
      "rate": 6.9,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2018,
      "marriages": 2132853,
      "population": 327167434,
      "rate": 6.5,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2019,
      "marriages": 2015603,
      "population": 328239523,
      "rate": 6.1,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2020,
      "marriages": 1676911,
      "population": 329484123,
      "rate": 5.1,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2021,
      "marriages": 1985072,
      "population": 331893745,
      "rate": 6,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2022,
      "marriages": 2065905,
      "population": 333287557,
      "rate": 6.2,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    },
    {
      "year": 2023,
      "marriages": 2041926,
      "population": 334914895,
      "rate": 6.1,
      "note": "",
      "sourceId": "cdc"
    }
  ],
  "firstMarriageAge": [
    {
      "year": 1975,
      "men": 23.5,
      "women": 21.1,
      "sourceId": "census"
    },
    {
      "year": 2025,
      "men": 30.8,
      "women": 28.4,
      "sourceId": "census"
    }
  ],
  "weddingCosts": {
    "mean": 34000,
    "median": 24000,
    "lowerQuartile": 12000,
    "upperQuartile": 41000,
    "sourceId": "knot",
    "observationYear": 2025,
    "liveExplainerMean": 34200,
    "liveExplainerSourceId": "knot-cost",
    "prospectiveMean": 36000,
    "prospectiveYear": 2026,
    "prospectiveSourceId": "zola"
  },
  "vendorCategories": [
    {
      "id": "attire",
      "name": "Wedding dress",
      "hiredPercent": 91,
      "averageSpend": 2100,
      "unit": "total",
      "sourceId": "knot"
    },
    {
      "id": "venues",
      "name": "Venue",
      "hiredPercent": 89,
      "averageSpend": 12900,
      "unit": "total",
      "sourceId": "knot"
    },
    {
      "id": "photographers",
      "name": "Photographer",
      "hiredPercent": 88,
      "averageSpend": 3000,
      "unit": "total",
      "sourceId": "knot"
    },
    {
      "id": "catering",
      "name": "Caterer",
      "hiredPercent": 85,
      "averageSpend": 80,
      "unit": "per person",
      "sourceId": "knot"
    },
    {
      "id": "groom-attire",
      "name": "Groom’s attire",
      "hiredPercent": 84,
      "averageSpend": 330,
      "unit": "total",
      "sourceId": "knot"
    },
    {
      "id": "bakeries",
      "name": "Cake",
      "hiredPercent": 76,
      "averageSpend": 530,
      "unit": "total",
      "sourceId": "knot"
    },
    {
      "id": "beauty",
      "name": "Hair and makeup",
      "hiredPercent": 72,
      "averageSpend": 300,
      "unit": "total",
      "sourceId": "knot"
    },
    {
      "id": "dj",
      "name": "DJ",
      "hiredPercent": 71,
      "averageSpend": 1800,
      "unit": "total",
      "sourceId": "knot"
    },
    {
      "id": "rentals",
      "name": "Event rentals",
      "hiredPercent": 68,
      "averageSpend": 2000,
      "unit": "total",
      "sourceId": "knot"
    },
    {
      "id": "flowers",
      "name": "Florist",
      "hiredPercent": 59,
      "averageSpend": 2800,
      "unit": "total",
      "sourceId": "knot"
    }
  ],
  "planning": {
    "engagementMonths": 14,
    "weeklyHours": 7,
    "vendorsHired": 13,
    "websitePercent": 90,
    "mobilePercent": 41,
    "mayThroughOctoberPercent": 76,
    "sourceId": "knot"
  },
  "categoryDetails": {
    "photographers": {
      "portfolioPriorityPercent": 81,
      "pricePriorityPercent": 73,
      "secondShooterPaidPercent": 40,
      "travelPaidPercent": 17,
      "sourceId": "knot"
    },
    "bakeries": {
      "cuttingPercent": 72,
      "liveAverageSpend": 540,
      "liveSourceId": "cake",
      "sourceId": "knot"
    },
    "venues": {
      "selectionImportancePercent": 83,
      "planningWebsitesPercent": 73,
      "sourceId": "knot"
    },
    "catering": {
      "buffetPercent": 60,
      "platedPercent": 30,
      "sourceId": "knot"
    },
    "flowers": {
      "pricePriorityPercent": 70,
      "sourceId": "flowers"
    },
    "dj": {
      "personalityPriorityPercent": 53,
      "firstDancePercent": 87,
      "sourceId": "knot"
    },
    "planners": {
      "averageSpend": 2100,
      "fullService": 3800,
      "dayOf": 1600,
      "monthOf": 2400,
      "destination": 2700,
      "sourceId": "planner",
      "responsivenessPriorityPercent": 52
    }
  }
}