The average US wedding costs $34,200 in 2026 according to The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study. Here is how all 50 states and 20 big cities compare, each with its own breakdown.
Illustrative$34,200US average, 2026
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50 states, 20 cities
The average US wedding costs $34,200 in 2026, according to The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study. State averages run from $17,000 in Wyoming to $57,000 in New Jersey, and 14 states sit above the US average. Venue prices, guest count and local vendor rates explain most of the gap.
Darker tiles are pricier states. The Northeast leads, with the Mid-Atlantic around $48,400 on average, while the Midwest sits near $29,000. Tap a tile for that state's full breakdown.
Regional averages from The Knot 2026. The Knot does not list which states it puts in each region, so the grouping here is ours.
The Mid-Atlantic average, against about $29,000 in the Midwest. Where you marry moves the budget more than almost any single choice.
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Every state's 2026 average from The Knot, ranked. The dark line marks the $34,200 US average. Tap a state for its full breakdown.
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Big metros swing far from their state average, from New York City at nearly double to San Antonio below Texas. Each page splits the total into venue, catering, photo and the rest.
New York City, NY#1 · $88,000
Chicago, IL#2 · $54,000San Francisco, CA#3 · $51,000
San Jose, CA#4 · $46,800 est.Los Angeles, CA#5 · $45,000
Washington DC#6 · $42,000Philadelphia, PA#7 · $40,000San Diego, CA#8 · $38,000
Austin, TX#9 · $37,000
Houston, TX#10 · $33,000
Dallas, TX#11 · $32,000
Jacksonville, FL#12 · $32,000Charlotte, NC#13 · $32,000Seattle, WA#14 · $31,000
Denver, CO#15 · $31,000Columbus, OH#16 · $30,000
Fort Worth, TX#17 · $28,900 est.Phoenix, AZ#18 · $27,000
San Antonio, TX#19 · $26,000Indianapolis, IN#20 · $25,000City figures come from The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study. San Jose and Fort Worth are not in its city list, so they carry a Pix Wedding estimate (marked est.). Card photos are illustrative.
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Four things explain most of the gap between states, and even the national average depends on which survey you read.
The biggest line item almost everywhere. Downtown venues in dense metros cost more than suburban or rural spaces in the same state.
Catering, rentals and cake are priced per seat. The Knot puts the 2026 US average at 117 guests and about $292 per guest.
Photographer, florist and planner prices follow the local cost of living, which is why coastal metros lead the ranking.
July to September weddings averaged $35,400 nationally, against $33,200 for January to March. Fridays and Sundays often cost less.
Sources: The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study and Zola, What Weddings Really Cost (updated March 6, 2026). Each survey asks different couples, so quotes in the gap are normal.
Illustrative photos and guest snapshots. The share each line takes changes from state to state, so open your state for its own breakdown.
Zola walks through a full wedding budget category by category. Watch it with your state page open, then plug your own numbers into the calculator.
Watch on YouTube (7 min)Quick answers on the US average, the priciest and cheapest states, and what a wedding costs per guest in 2026.
$34,200, according to The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, for an average of 117 guests, or about $292 per guest. Zola's 2026 survey puts the average a little higher, at $36,000. Both are averages, so a few very large weddings pull them up; plenty of couples spend far less.
New Jersey, at an average of $57,000 in 2026. The three priciest states are New Jersey ($57,000), Rhode Island ($51,000) and New York ($49,000). Dense metros with high venue and catering prices push these states well above the $34,200 US average.
Wyoming has the lowest average in our ranking, $17,000. The three most affordable states are Wyoming ($17,000), Utah ($18,000) and Idaho ($18,000). Lower venue rents and vendor rates do most of the work, so a guest list of the same size costs far less there.
Four things explain most of it: venue prices, guest count, local vendor rates and the season. Regional averages show the spread, from about $48,400 in the Mid-Atlantic to about $29,000 in the Midwest. Each state page splits its average into venue, catering, photos and the rest.
About $292 per guest on average in 2026. Size changes the total fast: The Knot puts weddings with 1 to 50 guests at about $17,100, 51 to 100 guests at $27,200 and over 100 guests at $43,300.
New York City leads our 20 city list at $88,000, and Indianapolis is the most affordable at $25,000. Big metros often sit far from their state average, so check the city page if you are marrying downtown.
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