The engagement season is almost over. There are a lot of couples across the country thinking about where they would say ‘I do.’ Every couple planning to get married knows that weddings can be a costly, time-consuming, and difficult affair. To help couples planning to tie the knot, personal finance website WalletHub has published a ranking of the best places to get married in 2020. Let’s check out the top ten of them.
It can be stressful for couples to set aside time from their busy day to do all the wedding preparations by themselves. That’s why they turn to professional wedding planners to take care of the nitty-gritty. According to an estimate, weddings are a $78 billion industry in the US. An average wedding costs more than $38,000.
To compile the ranking, WalletHub compared more than 180 cities across the US based on three key dimensions – cost, facilities & services, and activities & attractions. Within those three metrics, it looked at 27 aspects such as weather, average wedding cost, hotel availability, venues and event spaces, and more.
Pearl City in Hawaii was named the worst place to get married. It received a total score of just 7.89 out of 100. These are the best places to get married in 2020, according to WalletHub.
10- Austin, Texas
The Live Music Capital of the World has a number of attractions. It ranked 10th for facilities & services and 20th for activities & attractions. It received a score of 57.38. But weddings in Austin could be a relatively costly affair. The city ranks 69th in terms of cost. There is no shortage of wedding venues, musicians, bridal shops, photographers, and event planners in Austin.
9- Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces is the second-largest city in New Mexico. It has the third lowest average wedding cost in the country. But the low cost is the only major reason to tie the knot in Las Cruces. The city ranks a dismal 163rd for facilities & services and 92nd for activities & attractions.
8- Boise, Idaho
The City of Trees was ranked 6th for costs and 50th for activities & attractions. It has some affordable wedding planners, bridal shops, and venues. It didn’t score well for the number of facilities available. Boise received a total score of 57.77.
7- Tulsa, Oklahoma
With a score of 59.76, Tulsa is the 7th best place to get married in the US. It ranked 3rd for costs and 49th for activities & attractions. However, Tulsa lags far behind at 96th spot for facilities & services. Tulsa’s culture is influenced by Midwest, Southwest, and Southern regions.
6- Tampa, Florida
There are as many as three cities from Florida on this list, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. Tampa has some beautiful beaches. It ranks 12th for activities & attractions and 16th for facilities & services. It was ranked 53rd for costs, meaning a wedding in Tampa could be a costly affair.
5- Miami, Florida
Miami has the most flower shops and bridal shops per capita in the country. It also has some of the world’s best beaches. Miami ranked 3rd for facilities & services, and 9th for activities & attractions. But if you are thinking of getting married in Miami, be ready to shell out a lot of money because it ranks 98th for costs.
4- Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the fourth best place to get married in 2020 with a score of 64.32. It was ranked 7th for facilities & services, 13th for activities & attractions, and 54th for costs. Atlanta has the highest number of venues and event spaces per capita, 4th highest number of hotels per capita, 6th highest number of bridal shops and 8th highest number of flower shops per capita. Some popular venues include the Swan House, Wimbish House, Rhodes Hall, Fox Theatre, and the Ruins at Barnsley Resort.
3- El Paso, Texas
El Paso doesn’t have as many facilities and venues as Austin, but it’s by far the most affordable place to get married in the US. El Paso ranked 1st for costs, 55th for activities & attractions, and 118th for facilities & services. El Paso is among cities with the fewest event planners per capita.
2- Las Vegas, Nevada
It’s quite surprising that the Sin City wasn’t number one. The primary reason it didn’t top the list is the high average cost of wedding. Las Vegas ranks 2nd for activities & attractions, and 5th for facilities & services. But it ranked a low 77th for costs. Las Vegas received a total score of 67.22. It has the 5th highest number of wedding chapels and churches, flower shops, and attractions per capita.
1- Orlando, Florida
Orlando has been named the best place to get married in the US. The City Beautiful has beaten Las Vegas. It ranks 2nd for facilities & services, 7th for activities & attractions, and 24th for costs. Orlando received a total score of 72.15. According to WalletHub, it has more event planners per capita than any other city. It also ranks 1st for flower shops per capita. It has plenty of hotel options, bridal shops, and photographers and videographers.
