PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Weddings are back and they’re bigger than ever! Yet, thanks to inflation, tying the knot is now the most expensive it’s ever been.
Dayna Pasqua is getting married in Safety Harbor in about three weeks and cannot wait for her big day. Her fiancé proposed in 2020 and the couple waited until now to host a party.
“Our theme is a 1920s Gatsby-themed wedding. Ever since I was a kid I wanted something different. I can’t wait to get everyone together. It’s going to be a big reunion,” she said with a smile.
She said she is grateful that she had extra time to plan and save up money.
“Budgeting this wedding almost made you thank COVID a little bit for giving you that extra time to save,” Pasqua added.
A new report from the wedding planning site "The Knot" estimates 2.6 million couples will get married this year, spending an average of $34,000 on the wedding including the showers, parties, rings and other expenses leading up to the big day.
Inflation is causing weddings to be more expensive this year.
“It’s hard to budget because everything has gone up so high. You type anything on the internet and put wedding in front of it and it like triples the price of everything even for simple things like silverware. It really just blows your mind because what we’re paying could be a down payment on a house,” Pasqua explained.
Tampa Bay vendors are busy with the 2022 wedding season and beyond. William DeCosta atIyrus Weddings said he’s getting calls about photo and video services as far out as 2025.
“You went from COVID times with zero inquiries because nobody could have weddings to the floodgates being open. We’re averaging anywhere between 10-12 inquiries a day,” DeCosta explained. Florists at Rose Garden Florist and Nursery in Largo are busy too.
“It has been non-stop,” Angela West said.
The flower shop is carefully working with couples to stay within budget, even as flower prices soar. Maria Yoho said it’s important to them to keep costs low for couples.
“While we have a budget that we’re working with, we still try to create something very beautiful for the bride and groom for their price,” she elaborated.
Achieva Credit Union started offering free virtual budgeting sessions as inflation skyrockets. Tasha Cohen-Glynn, Public Relations Liaison, said for couples, it’s critical to establish a wedding budget and stick with it.
“As a bride everything seems important. But you have to think what’s really important?” she added.
Cohen-Glynn suggests weekday weddings, also renting a dress or jewelry, and when possible, limiting your guest list.
“You don’t have to invite every cousin and second cousin, right?” she said with a laugh.
Pasqua is going the DIY route. She was able to make centerpieces out of dollar store vases. Vendors also suggest planning in advance.
“You definitely want to make sure that you book early so that you can solidify a great vendor team,” DeCosta said.
The Knot suggests booking major components to your wedding at least a year in advance. The Knot report said that 98% of couples who are set to tie the knot this year are confident their wedding will take place as scheduled. That compares to 45% who made changes to their wedding plans in 2021.
Wedding receptions are also getting bigger and are expected to average around 129 guests this year, up from 110 in 2021.
