2.13M
marriages in the United States
The CDC's provisional count for 2024 was 2,128,446 marriages, a rate of 6.3 per 1,000 people.
Source: CDC, 2024 provisional dataWedding planning reference
Wedding statistics that help put the celebration in focus.
Current, sourced data on the scale, spending and guest experience behind modern weddings. Built as a practical reference for couples, writers and event professionals.
Last updated October 22, 2026
5.8
California marriages per 1,000 residents
The CDC reports California's 2024 provisional marriage rate at 5.8 per 1,000 people. Each marriage is counted where it took place.
Source: CDC, 2024 provisional data115
average wedding guests
The Knot's 2023 Real Weddings Study found an average guest count of 115 among nearly 10,000 U.S. couples married that year.
Source: The Knot, 2023 Real Weddings Study$35K
average ceremony and reception cost
In the same 2023 study, the average reported wedding cost was $35,000 for the ceremony and reception.
Source: The Knot, 2023 Real Weddings Study75%
prioritized the guest experience
Three in four surveyed couples said the guest experience was the most important part of their planning process.
Source: The Knot, 2023 Real Weddings Study56%
looked forward to music and dancing
Among currently engaged couples in the study, music and dancing ranked among the parts of the day they were most excited to experience.
Source: The Knot, 2023 Real Weddings StudyWhat this says about the day
People remember how a celebration feels.
Wedding planning has a long list of moving parts, but the strongest signal in this data is simple: couples are thinking deeply about the experience their guests will have. That means every transition, from the welcome through the final song, deserves a sense of care.
For a celebration with live music, DJ-led energy and thoughtful hosting, a clear musical thread can help the day feel relaxed, personal and fully inhabited by the people in the room.
Explore the wedding experience →Methodology and sources
How to use this page.
This page brings together the latest relevant figures available from the named sources. Government marriage figures are provisional where the source labels them that way. The Knot figures come from its study of nearly 10,000 U.S. couples married in 2023, so they describe that study group rather than every wedding.
Every number is linked directly to its source. We review this reference roughly monthly, or earlier when a core source releases newer data. Individual source dates are shown with each statistic.
Cite this page
Sean Dennison Events. “Wedding Statistics & Planning Data.” Updated October 22, 2026. https://seandennisonevents.site/wedding-statistics
A celebration with a point of view