Arkansas tourism could benefit from lower-cost weddings

Arkansas could soon become a hotspot for wedding destinations after a new study from The Knot revealed it to be the No. 4 most affordable state in the U.S. for couples looking to exchange vows.

Even as 2015’s average wedding cost in the U.S. rose to an all-time national high of $32,641, Arkansas wedding costs totaled only $19,856 (excluding honeymoons). The state trailed West Texas (No. 3 at $19,261); South Dakota (No. 2 at $18,890); and Alaska (No. 1 at $17,361), according to the report prepared by XO Group.
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New Mexico ($20,114), North Dakota ($20,211), Idaho ($20,245), Montana ($20,322), Oregon ($20,456), and Central Illinois ($21,818) rounded out the top 10.

In contrast, Manhattan-NYC was the most expensive at $82,299 per wedding. Far and away, the largest wedding budget item was for venue rental. Nationally, customers spent $14,788 (or around 45.3% of their overall budget) on this line item. Using the same percentage, that would place the average venue rental fee in Arkansas at approximately $8,995.76.

OTHER KEY FINDINGS
• Average spent on a wedding dress: $1,469
• Average marrying age: bride, 29; groom, 31
• Average number of guests: 139
• Average number of bridesmaids: 5
• Average number of groomsmen: 5
• Most popular month to get engaged: December (16%)
• Average length of engagement: 14.5 months
• Most popular month to get married: October (17%) and September (15%)