I’m Not Wedding Stressed, YOU’RE Wedding Stressed!

OKAY.  So I'm trying really hard to not stress out about all this wedding jazz.  I like a nice, ordered list, so I've been going over it with myself from time to time to see if I'm forgetting anything.I've got the basics done.  Venue, check.  DJ, check.  Food, check.  Flowers, check. Dress, check.  Cake, check.  Gifts, check.  Bartender, check.  But I keep thinking, the average wedding can't be this stressful.  There's got to be something I'm doing that's making it harder on myself.

So I went to the Google!  And lo and behold, I discovered that... I'm pretty close to average.  Here are five facts about the average wedding . . . according to a survey of 17,500 brides by TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com:

#1.)  It costs $28,427 . . . not including the honeymoon.  That's $1,406 more than last year.  If you're getting married in Manhattan, plan on spending about THREE times that much.  In Alaska, it's only about $15,000.     

NOW THAT IS WHERE I AM NOWHERE CLOSE TO AVERAGE.  Just putting that out there.  I have probably spent...less than a quarter of that.

#2.)  There are 139 guests.  Utah has the biggest weddings . . . with an average of 209 guests.  Nevada has the fewest, at 64.  The reception catering costs $63 per guest. 

I'm close to this one.  Kind of.  We're going to have a tiny wedding (maybe ten people) but then we'll invite everyone else to the reception.  The reception will hopefully have about a hundred people (it's hard to tell, so many people haven't RSVP'd. PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE ALERT, there).

#3.)  There are usually four or five bridesmaids, and the same number of groomsmen.   

I've got two dudes and a lady on my side, and so does he.  So we're close.

#4.)  The bride is 29 years old . . . and the groom is 31.  Brides in Hawaii are the oldest, at 33.  And Utah has the youngest brides, at 25.

Oh boy.  I'm..........older than that.  And he's older than me.  So.... no?

#5.)  The average couple has been engaged for 14 months. 

That's about how long it was for us.  Although honestly, if I hadn't been encouraged to do it... I'd probably still just be engaged right now.

So I guess it's either just me, or it really is just that stressful to plan a wedding.  OR BOTH?!

Weddingly yours,
Behka