They are saying love doesn’t cost a thing.
But that definitely is not true of weddings.
In 2022, couples in america spent, on average, nearly $30,000 to get married, in keeping with a report from the marriage website The Knot.
Nevertheless it wasn’t all the time this manner. Within the Fifties, the “Complete Guide to Wedding Etiquette” advised couples to earmark £30 ($38, or $482 when adjusted for inflation) for a reception that included the worth of alcohol, in keeping with the BBC.
In actual fact, it’s possible to tie the knot for even less today.
What a $15 wedding gets you
A Las Vegas venue, called the Chapel of the Flowers, is charging just $15 for a wedding package that features:
- An on-site ceremony
- A ten-minute photoshoot and five 4×6 photographs
- A marriage bouquet and boutonniere
- A live broadcast of the ceremony
The package price — which is generally $500 — is what couples paid to get married within the chapel in 1953, said Cynthia Sharpe, the venue’s director of storytelling.
An image taken in 1953 of an indication outside the Chapel of the Flowers promoting its $15 wedding packages.
Source: The Chapel of Flowers
“Chapel of the Flowers wants to offer back and thank the entire amazing couples who’ve been a component of creating Las Vegas the Wedding Capital of the World,” she said, referencing the town’s trademarked name.
The discounted wedding package is a component of a celebration commemorating 70 years since Las Vegas was first provided that moniker, in keeping with a campaign promoting Las Vegas because the “Wedding Capital of the World.”
The package is offered to 70 couples on a first-come-first-serve basis, and doesn’t include the minister’s fee, which is $70. As of today, all packages are still available, Sharpe told CNBC.
In accordance with the U.S. News & World Report, Nevada had the best marriage rate within the U.S. in 2021. Couples can obtain a license and get married in the identical day.
Other inexpensive options
Other venues in Las Vegas are also discounting wedding packages, in keeping with the campaign.
Couples can have an Elvis-themed wedding at The Little Neon Chapel for $470 until Sept. 30, which comes with an ordained minister dressed as Elvis, photos and room for 10 guests.
An Elvis impersonator performs a distant vow renewal ceremony through the pandemic at Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ethan Miller | Getty Images News | Getty Images
For $700, couples can exchange vows 900 feet above the town’s famous Strip atop The Strat Hotel, Casino & Tower, the tallest structure in Las Vegas. The package, which comes with a Champagne toast for the couple and 15 guests, is offered through Dec. 30.
The danger of wedding debt
A 2019 report by the financial services company LendingTree estimates 45% of newlyweds incur debt to pay for his or her weddings.
Moreover, nearly half of those with wedding debt said money issues led them to think about divorce, in keeping with the survey. Only 9% of couples without wedding debt said the identical, the report showed.
The survey also asked which wedding expense they deemed probably the most “value it.” The preferred response didn’t concern the marriage in any respect — it was the honeymoon.
LendingTree’s survey included 506 Americans, aged 18 to 53, that had been married within the previous two years.
