BY BTL STAFF
June 26 marked the two years since the historic Supreme Court ruling that the U.S. Constitution guarantees rights to same-sex marriage. In celebration of Pride month and the second anniversary of marriage equality in the U.S., The Knot – the nation's largest source for wedding news and inspiration – released the results from The Knot & Q.Digital LGBTQ Weddings Study.
Top Statistics from The Knot LGBTQ Weddings Study 2017
Average Wedding Cost (excludes honeymoon): Women, $17,341; Men, $18,049
Average Engagement Ring Spend: Women, $3,185; Men, $2,226
Average Marrying Age: Women, 36; Men, 46
Average Number of Guests: Women, 87; Men, 84
Average Length of Engagement: Women, 13 months; Men, 12 months
Most Popular Month to Get Married: Women, October, 15 percent; Men, October, 15 percent
Percentage of Destination Weddings: Women, 29 percent; Men, 35 percent
LGBTQ Wedding Trends
A Pair of Proposals. Aside from asking, "Will you marry me?" there are no steadfast rules to creating a great proposal. But when it comes to same-sex proposals, who asks whom? Some couples decide who's going to do the asking, others wait and see who pops the question first and many are both opting to propose to each other.
According to The Knot & Q.Digital LGBTQ Weddings Study:
– 17 percent of female couples and 11 percent of males couples both proposed to one another.
– Women are more traditional when proposing, with 43 percent proposing on bended knee compared to 28 percent of men doing the same.
– Women (86 percent) are also more likely than men (60 percent) to exchange engagement rings during the proposal.
– Of the women and men who exchanged engagement rings, one in four created a custom designed ring (26 percent of women; 23 percent of men).
Equality-Minded Pros Are a Must. Same-sex couples are eager to partner with wedding professionals, be it a cake baker, florist or planner, who are equality-minded and openly show support of same-sex marriage.
According to the study, female (30 percent) and male (11 percent) couples admitted that they were turned away from vendors or left feeling uncomfortable due to their LGBTQ identity.
An overwhelming majority of LGBTQ couples (88 percent of males and 91 percent of females) agree that vendors should clearly communicate that they are LGBTQ friendly, and 91 percent of males and 92 percent of females are more likely to book a vendor that caters to the LGBTQ community.
Creating A Unique Ceremony Set Up and Rethinking the Processional. There's no rule book for same-sex wedding ceremonies, so couples are switching it up, opting for a ceremony in the round or staging multiple aisles, diffusing any pressure of who walks when. Other couples are skipping processionals completely, and instead having their guests walk down the aisle to greet them at the altar.
Some are choosing to walk in together to symbolize the start of their journey together (42 percent of male couples and 20 percent of female couples). Another twist on tradition is the ceremony music. Only three percent of men and two percent of women walked down the aisle to the tune of the traditional Wagner's Bridal Chorus.
Mixed-Gender Wedding Parties.
Eight in ten LGBTQ couples (82 percent) had wedding attendants. Among female couples, 74 percent had a maid of honor (58 percent) or best woman (16 percent), and 36 percent had a man of honor (14 percent) or best man (22 percent)
Forty-one percent of male couples had a maid of honor (14 percent) or best woman (27 percent), and 60 percent had a man of honor (12 percent) or best man (48 percent). Only 20 percent of LGBTQ couples had exclusively men only (9 percent) or women only (11 percent) wedding parties.
{BOLD Married couples shared their unique stories, struggles, and how their #LoveMarchesOn with The Knot. View the video here:
