Did You Know… 15 Interesting American Wedding Facts

Did you know that American weddings are often scoffed at by other countries as we
have “Westernized” the tradition of weddings? Its little tidbits of information that makes
traditions interesting. Here are 15 facts about the American wedding you may enjoy.

1. Close to $72 billion is spent annually on weddings in the United States alone.

2. Hawaii is the second best wedding destination in America with nearly 25,000 per year.
However, Las Vegas is by far the top wedding destination with about 144,000 weddings
per year.

3. On average, the budget for a wedding is $20,000.

4. The wedding photographer is the most important vendor you will hire.

5. The busiest days and months for a wedding in the United States are Saturdays
(afternoon, then morning), Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Wednesday and
Thursday’s are not too far off, with Monday and Tuesday the least favorite. Meanwhile
the most favorite month is June, while August takes second and July a close third. The
least favorite, probably due to all the other events, is December. In addition, if you are
looking to save a little money, the earlier in the day of the wedding the cheaper in price
it seems to be.

6. Although the old tradition was that the bride’s family paid for the wedding, today about
75 percent of married couples in America has either paid for part or all of their wedding.

7. To show how people in America are for their romantic moments, the Nielsen Rating
system consistently shows that a television soap opera wedding always attracts more
viewers than watch a presidential address.

8. In the United States, the average wedding is known to include up to 175. Oddly enough,
it is not uncommon to have more guests at your reception than at the actual wedding,
whether or not that was the bride and groom’s choice. If you have food, they will come.

9. A wedding that took place that involved two American slaves was not allowed to include
the phrase “until death do us part.” This was in place since plantation masters held
the power to separate husband and wives from each other. In addition, since slaves
were banned from a Christian wedding ceremony, they would often invent their own
ceremony. A typical wedding between slaves would include certain symbols from their
African homeland, such as the couple jumping over a broom.

10. Some of the most played “first dance” songs include Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are,”
Natalie and Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable” and Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.”
Other songs played that are probably based on the title; because they must not
understand the lyrics since these songs are usually about breaking up and going separate
ways include Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and Styx’s “Babe.”

11. Some popular “first dance” songs for fathers and daughters include Heartland’s “I Loved
Her First,” Tim McGraw’s “My Little Girl” and Bob Carlisle’s “Butterfly Kisses.”

12. There is no actual law or religious belief that requires a woman to take the last name of
her husband. However with that said, about 70 percent of Americans still agree that the
bride should take the last name of her husband. Often this is done for unity and for their
future children.

13. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company in America offers a policy for wedding insurance,
called Weddingsurance. Their coverage pays to replace or repair items if they are stolen,
lost or damaged, such as gifts, jewelry, rental items and special attire. They also cover
such situations as the dress tearing, will repay for a no-show wedding photographer or
if the photos are lost, damaged or not developed properly. This insurance coverage also
covers refunds in the case one of the couple opts out and therefore you have a large
cost as well as lost deposits. They even cover counseling for those suffering from the
emotional angst from the event being cancelled.

14. Many states do not require physical exams or for the couple to take a blood test.
However, if you have any venereal disease or any physical issues, like infertility or
impotence, then the marriage can be voided and annulled.

15. Eskimo women were known to be wedded by the time they were 15 to 16 years old.
Unlike mainland America, they did not receive gifts prior or after the wedding. In fact the
ritual was for the groom to fake kidnap the bride, as he would usually have to drag her
off while she kicked and screamed.