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A modern wedding now takes an incredible 528 hours - or 22 full days- of planning from engagement to the big day, according to new data.
A study looking into the wedding planning habits and behaviors of 2,000 Americans who have had a wedding in the last year uncovered the most time-consuming parts of the entire wedding planning process and found that the average engaged person spends 12 hours a week planning their wedding.
The average engaged American will find themselves in wedding planning mode over the course of 11 months - or 44 weeks - logging 528 hours of planning from engagement to the big day.
It turns out that finding the perfect venue came in as the number one time-consuming activity – with a quarter of those surveyed admitting that this was the most challenging and tedious part of the process.
The study, by Minted, looked into the wedding planning journey of the 2,000 people surveyed to find that hunting for the perfect wedding dress, deciding who will be in the wedding party, and arranging the catering also ranked high among the most time-consuming elements of any wedding planning process.
Planning a wedding is no easy feat. Many engaged couples were excited and happy (68 percent and 53 percent, respectively), while they planned their big day, while some experienced more stressful emotions during their planning.
For some, planning a wedding can be overwhelming. The average couple studied said they had four disagreements along the way, and even a few tears at times.
But what are the wedding elements couples are prone to disagree about? For a quarter of those surveyed (25 percent) finding the right venue was a source of contention.
While 18 percent of engaged couples clashed about arranging the catering, another 19 percent disagreed over who would be in the wedding party.
Not all couples clashed during the wedding planning process. Turns out, nearly a quarter (23 percent) had zero disagreements with their partner as they planned their big day.
It turns out that selecting save the date cards and picking the flower girl and ring-bearer were wedding features that partners often agree on.
For the majority of those studied (94 percent), having the help of their partner made the whole thing a lot easier and more enjoyable. A whopping 46 percent wouldn’t change a thing about their special day.
In fact, 84 percent agreed that their partner’s input in the wedding planning process was helpful – with 78 percent revealing their partner wanted to provide input.
“We know that coming together to celebrate such an important milestone, like a wedding, is equally rewarding and time consuming. However, creating meaningful moments, complete with personal touches and intimate elements, is what makes a couple’s big day so special.” says a spokesperson for Minted Weddings.
And it turns out the wedding planning process can be a good exercise for couples to see how they get along in stressful situations. For 83 percent of those studied, it was easy to agree with their partner, making the wedding planning journey a lot more manageable.
That doesn’t mean that wedding planning doesn’t come without its share of stressors, even if both people are getting along and agreeing on key elements of the big day.
Eighteen percent stressed about pleasing their in-laws while a further 17 percent of women worried about finding the perfect wedding dress for their big day.
Although the majority of recently married couples were happy and excited while wedding planning, there were some things that people would change about their big day. The top items wedding couples would do differently were choice of photographer, venue, and wedding planner.
Plus, companies like Minted are committed to easing wedding planning anxiety with their tech-enabled crowdsourcing model that brings best-selling designs to market. “We offer unique designs from independent artists for every step of the wedding planning process. From the start, every detail of your wedding will be made uniquely yours. Our team is dedicated to bringing your design to life from your save the date cards to your day-of decor pieces.” added spokesperson for Minted Weddings.
TOP 5 WEDDING FEATURES COUPLES AGREE ON
Selecting the flower girl and ring-bearer
Choosing save the date notices
Hunting for the perfect wedding dress
Finding bridesmaids dresses
Choosing the right flowers
TOP 5 MOST TIME-CONSUMING PARTS OF PLANNING A WEDDING
Finding the right venue
Hunting for the perfect wedding dress
Deciding who will be in the wedding party
Arranging the catering
Getting the seating chart just right
TOP 5 EMOTIONS WHILE PLANNING A WEDDING
Excited 68%
Happy 53%
Stressed 46%
Overwhelmed 42%
Anxious 39%
TOP 10 MOST IMPORTANT WEDDING ELEMENTS
Finding the right venue 46%
Hunting for the perfect wedding dress 37%
Deciding who will be in the wedding party 31%
Finding a photographer/videographer 26%
Arranging the catering 24%
Deciding on a color scheme 22%
Selecting the music playlist 20%
Choosing wedding invitations 18%
Deciding on the first dance song 18%
Finding bridesmaids dresses 16%
TOP 5 PEOPLE WHO HAVE INPUT ON A WEDDING
Mom 63%
Future in-laws 44%
Dad 32%
Friends 32%
Sister 30%
TOP 5 WEDDING ELEMENTS ALREADY PLANNED BEFORE ENGAGEMENT FOR MEN
Engagement ring
Groomsmen
Music choices
Venue
Color scheme
TOP 5 WEDDING ELEMENTS ALREADY PLANNED BEFORE ENGAGEMENT FOR WOMEN
Bridesmaids
Engagement ring
Color scheme
Flower girl
Venue
TIME SPENT PLANNING A WEDDING
Average engagement period- 11 months (44 weeks)
Average time spent planning a wedding a week- 12 hours
12 x 44= 528 hours
