The average Manhattan wedding costs $20,000 more than anywhere else in the US
Getting married on the island of Manhattan is, on average, $20,000 more expensive than in the second-most expensive place to wed in the US, Chicago. It's also $50,000 more expensive than the average across the US, $32,641, The Knot found.
Why are weddings so expensive in the city that never sleeps?
Brides in Manhattan spend the most on their wedding gowns ($2,710), while, for comparison, Montana brides spend only $967.
Manhattan weddings also have the oldest brides (32.8 years old on average) and oldest grooms (35.4 years old on average), which might mean there is more disposable income to go around.
Manhattan also tied with Long Island for the most black tie dress code weddings, with 38%.
Still, it's important to remember that the average figures don't tell the whole story. Slate reported in 2015 that the median costs of weddings in Manhattan is actually $55,104, much lower than the reported average. It seems that there must be a few really, really expensive weddings that are bringing the average up to more than $80,000.
Slate also points out that these numbers could be inflated for the benefit of the wedding industry, making anything cheaper than the average look like a "good deal."