About The Author: Reeka Events is a luxury catering company specialising in bespoke weddings in the Cotswolds. With over 15 years of industry experience, Reeka is an expert in ensuring your wedding day runs as planned and tastes incredible.

We have searched far and wide to create a list of the most important wedding statistics every couple needs to know in 2024.

So, if you are planning your wedding and want to find data and facts on:

• Engagements

• Budgeting

• Venues

• Themes

• Wedding attire

• Sustainability
  

You’ll love our list of up-to-date stats below!

This is where it all starts! How much should I spend on a ring? When should I propose? Do I get down on one knee? The list below from key wedding industry studies holds all of the answers and more.

• 1 in 10 couples propose at Christmas (December 24th, 25th or 26th) - Bridebook

• Around 62% of couples actually announce their engagement on social media - Hitched

• Only 87% of people who propose actually get down on one knee - Bridebook

• On average, the length of dating before getting engaged is 4.7 years - Bridebook

• Around 93% of engagements involve a real ring (as opposed to a Haribo ring or other replica)  - Bridebook

• Around a third of couples who married in 2023 met online, with 30% meeting through dating apps and a further 3% meeting through social media - Hitched

• The average amount of money spent on an engagement ring is £2,419 - Hitched

• Couples are getting married later on in life! 2020 data shows a 3% increase in the average age of marriage for men (35.3) and an increase of 2.7% for women (33.2). - ONS

So you’re engaged and looking for some facts about average wedding costs and budgets. The following facts will help give you an idea of the price of UK weddings and how other couples are paying for theirs. 

• The average wedding cost is £20,775. Including the engagement ring and honeymoon, it rises to £25,953 - Bridebook

• Over two-thirds (70%) of couples receive money from family and/or friends to help pay for their big day - this is up 7% from the previous year - Hitched

• Nearly a third of UK-engaged couples (32%) are also saving for a house, and 29% are paying off credit card bills and debts. - Hitched

• The most expensive area to get married in the UK is London, with an average total wedding cost of £37,778 - Bridebook

Now comes the fun part. Planning! These trends are based on some of the top wedding industry studies, from the most popular dates to the most popular colours. Here are some insights into how UK couples are planning their weddings!

• The summer month of August is the most popular month to get married, followed by May - Wedpro

• Saturday is still the most popular day to get married, followed by Friday - Wedpro

• Thursday weddings are growing in popularity and are up 11% compared to last year - Wedpro

• The traditional way couples find their venues is changing. Google saw a 7% decline in use when researching wedding venues in 2024 - Bridebook

• The most popular date to get married in 2024 is Saturday the 7th of September - Bridebook

• Green is the top wedding theme colour for 2024 - Bridebook 

Are you keeping it traditional or thinking about going against the grain with your wedding dress colour? Maybe you’re unsure of how much to spend. These stats might help you decide!

• Sourcing pre-loved attire has more than doubled from 6% to 14% - Bridebook

• The average cost of a wedding dress is £1,350 - Hitched

• As of March 2024, black wedding dresses are the most popular colour dress searched on Google in the UK. There are 9,900 searches a month which is over double that of white wedding dresses with 4,440 - Semrush Search Data

• The least popular wedding dress colour on Google is orange, with 90 searches a month - Semrush Search Data

Are you keeping it local, or do you have your eyes on the dream venue in another part of the country? Either way, here is bunch of facts about what other couples do when it comes to choosing and communicating with their venue!

• 52% of couples say the wedding venue being close to home is important - Wedpro

• 65% of couples value watching virtual wedding tours but agree that it doesn’t replace an in-person visit - Wedpro 

• Bridal dressing rooms are still a must, with 62% opting for a bridal dressing in their package. - Wedpro

• Kent is the most searched UK location for a wedding venue - Semrush Search Engine Data

• Email is king! 73% of couples prefer to communicate with their venue via email as opposed to in person or over the phone - Wedpro

• Brinsop Court in Herefordshire is officially the most popular wedding venue in the UK - Hitched

• Nearly one-third of weddings take place in the South of the UK - Bridebook

We can be mistaken for believing that traditions are permanent, but the truth is they come and go over time. The facts below will help determine how certain wedding traditions are evolving or disappearing across the UK.

• The wedding first look is growing in popularity in the UK, with 17% of couples choosing to bring this into their big day. This is an increase of 6% from last year - Hitched

• Couples choosing to have a group photo including all guests declined to 57% from 64% Bridebook

• The demand for wedding drone footage increased from 12% of couples in 2022 to 17% in 2023 - Bridebook

• Only one in 10 couples committed to a bouquet toss.- Hitched

• Around 12% of couples don’t bother with a honeymoon - Statista

• One-third of couples opt for a traditional wedding theme. The rest are split over themes such as rustic, modern, boho, and cultural, to name a few. - Bridebook

• Greece is the most popular destination for honeymooners - Prezola

• The number one first dance song is “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley - Bridebook and Hitched

• 47% of engaged couples now have plant-based confetti at their wedding and half won’t throw any at all- Bridebook

• It’s not just the internet being taken over by AI. Searches for “AI wedding speech generator” have increased by 250% since March 2023 - Semrush Search Data

• Google Trends shows that wedding favours are on the decline. There were 22,200 searches a month back in March 2017, and now there are only 12,100. A decrease of 45%. - Google Trends (below) and Semrush Search Data

Who would have thought green would be THE colour for 2024 and that AI would slowly be creeping into our big day? We hope you enjoyed this list of wedding statistics for 2024. This list is always kept up to date with the latest facts and data from across the wedding industry, so make sure you keep checking back!

Haven’t found the caterer you and your guests deserve yet? Request a free bespoke quote with us today and discover why we are the best luxury caterers in the Cotswolds.