It seems like there’s always a new wedding statistic floating around. But more often than not, the stat is based on old data from the US or UK. So how do Canadian weddings stack up?

And what does your wedding look like in comparison to the rest of Canada? Are you following the norms or striking out on your own? There’s no right answer but it’s always interesting to see which way our country is heading down the aisle.

The following stats are from studies conducted between 2015 and 2017. All of the answers are based on Canadian weddings (sources below).


Budgets

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The average Canadian wedding and honeymoon costs $30,717 (2015). Here’s the breakdown: venue for $8,798, catering for $6,877, a band for $3,848, photography for $2,435 and the rehearsal dinner for $1,935.

14% of couples say they are willing to spend more than $20,000 on their wedding

31% of couples went over their initial budget

61% of couples are paying for their wedding themselves while 39% are hitting up the Bank of Mom & Dad

85% of Canadians surveyed say wedding spending is out of control

Engagement

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20% of all engagements happen in December

The average cost of an engagement ring is $4,700

29% of brides have their engagement ring picked out before the proposal and 60% are involved in helping to pick out their own ring (either before or after the proposal)

17% of couples report more bickering since getting engaged (sad, but understandable given that you’re dealing with finances and families)

Pre-Wedding

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40% of brides think signing a pre-nuptial agreement is a good idea

Brides spend an average of 4.4 hours per week reading wedding-related material

40% of brides-to-be think pre-wedding events (bachelor/bachelorette, shower, etc.) are just as important as the wedding day

The Dress

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75% of brides would consider a pre-owned dress as long as it was their style

30% of brides contemplate a coloured, non-white dress (go for it, ladies!)

The average cost of a wedding dress in Canada is $1,779

Wedding Day

Picture courtesy of Smart Courses
Picture courtesy of Smart Courses

25% of weddings held from November to April are destination weddings overseas. Overall, 14% of Canadian weddings are destination weddings.

23% of weddings occur in August

The average number of wedding guests is 129

40% of couples create their own wedding day hashtag

The average age of a Canadian couple tying the knot is 30 years old

Wedding Party

Picture courtesy of Smart Courses
Picture courtesy of Smart Courses

The average cost of being a bridesmaid or groomsmen in a wedding party is $366

19% of bridesmaids spend between $500 and $999 to be in a wedding

11% of bridesmaids have spent more than $1,000! 

Wedding Gifts

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The average cost of an “acceptable” wedding gift is $147

51% of respondents believe you should spend between $100 – $199 on a wedding gift

83% believe they spent the right amount

15% have lied about how much they spent on a wedding gift

Controversially, Yahoo Finance reports the average wedding gift cost for one person attending is $252.94 and $336.53 for a couple attending

Honeymoon

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The Bahamas is the most popular honeymoon destination for the 6th year in a row

1/3 of respondents were planning a honeymoon that involved adventure travel

***

Sources: http://globalnews.ca/news/3559608/how-much-do-canadians-spend-on-weddings-the-cost-breakdown-will-surprise-you/, http://www.slice.ca/weddings/photos/canadian-wedding-facts/#!8070ab518e0415917ed48f6269f01f18, http://notable.ca/2015-stats-everything-youve-ever-wanted-to-know-about-weddings-in-canada/, http://globalnews.ca/news/2553299/wedding-planning-by-the-numbers-how-much-couples-are-spending-and-on-what/

written by Riana Ang-Canning


How does your wedding compare with Canadian averages?
Which one of these wedding numbers shocked you the most?