Want to Know What the Average Engagement Ring and Wedding Costs?

Dating Advice Articles | January 23, 2007

I'll fess up...I'm darn nosy when it comes down to it. I want to know what everyone is doing and spending when it comes to their engagement rings and weddings. I'll share with you some of the details about my ring and nuptials as well.

The average engagement ring costs about $3,000-$4,000. The equals roughly 2-3 months salary for the regular Joe who is going to spend that much. Better start putting those pennies in your piggy bank. Joel spent a little bit more than this on my ring.

The average diamond carat size ranges from a .5 to a 1.0. Regardless, most jewelers will tell you that women prefer a full one carat diamond. My diamond is about a 1.25 carat size. I wanted the look of a full diamond but not one that was so big that it looked gawdy on my finger.

The average woman has a ring finger size of a 7, with the typical ring size spanning from a 5 to a 10. Not everyone falls into this range...

I have extremely tiny hands and a size 3 ring finger....

I won't go into it, but it was quite an ordeal to get my ring resizedThe average engagement lasts for over a year, so you have plenty of time to plan and look through bridal magazines. Joel and I opted for a six months long engagement. We had already dated for 3 years and felt like we were ready to move forward without waiting for a full year. That meant I started planning the wedding about a week after the proposal.

The average wedding costs $26,000-$30,000! Yikes! Expect to spend in more expensive areas of the county such as New York or New Jersey. Joel and I spent quite a bit less and still had a very elegant wedding...so it can be done.

The average age of the bride and groom ranges from 27-29. That described us perfectly...we were 27 and 28.

The average wedding has close to 200 guests. We had about 80... it was a nice sized, intimate affair.

The average couple spends at least $3,000 more than they had anticipated on the wedding. We were good and only went about $500 over our budget. We are both very practical individuals and really preferred to direct our savings towards a downpayment on a house.

An average of 53% of weddings make it until "death do us part." I know this will be us :)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The author just celebrated her one year anniversary and sports a beautiful ascher cut ring. She and her husband put together the website: http://www.ultimate-engagement-ring-guide.com to help you find the perfect ring.