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Wedding Wire, Inc. a leader in the global wedding industry, released findings from its 2019 Newlywed Report. The report analyzes behaviors of over 18,000 respondents and provides insight into how real, modern-day couples are planning their weddings, finding their vendor teams, and celebrating their love with each other and their guests.

The Culture of Today’s Couples

The average age of couples getting married increases each year (now, 33) as they prioritize education, career and travel. While individuals place an emphasis on broadening their horizons, they are introduced to new people, cultures and cities, leading 58 percent of couples to marry outside their background, including race, religion, ethnicity, regional background and more.

Couples are becoming more diverse and are paying homage to this blending of backgrounds. Nearly 1-in-5 couples incorporate cultural traditions relating to their race or religion into their wedding ceremonies.

Wedding Planning Starts Prior to Proposals

Millennials, who make up the largest percentage of today’s marrying couples, are now planning for their weddings earlier than ever before. They are 15 percent more likely than Gen X couples to wedding plan prior to an engagement. In fact, 2-in-3 millennial respondents reported taking at least one wedding planning step before getting engaged, including looking at wedding dresses online (35 percent), creating wedding inspiration boards on Pinterest (30 percent), and researching venues (25 percent).

Millennials—known for coveting instant gratification—plan with a digital mind-set, wanting immediate and on-the-go access to tools, vendor options and inspiration for efficient planning.

In data provided exclusively to WeddingWire from Google, the most popular keyword search terms included various tools like “wedding checklist” and “wedding budget,” which couples can find for free on WeddingWire.

Wedding Professionals Bring Couples’ Unique Visions to Life

On average, couples hire 14 wedding vendors to help pull off their special day. Now more than ever, couples strive to create a one-of-a-kind guest experience and are hiring vendors to create personalized experiences.

Personal Touches Come at a Price

As the cost of weddings increases year-over-year, couples continue to underestimate the cost of their big days. On average, couples spend 45 percent more on their weddings than initially expected. One-in-three couples acknowledge their initial budget is not necessarily realistic, and after conducting further vendor research, 60 percent of couples go on to create a more detailed budget as they become further educated on costs. One of the top reasons couples overspend includes adding custom or personalized wedding elements (25 percent).

For more information about the 2019 WeddingWire Newlywed Report, visit go.weddingwire.com/newlywed-report.