WeddyPlace, Germany’s largest digital wedding planner, presents “Die große Hochzeitsstudie” (The Big Wedding Study 2024) which provides exciting insights into the beautiful world of bridal couples in Germany every year.
The latest results were created through a comprehensive online survey by WeddyPlace, in which exactly 634 couples were surveyed from March 1 to April 3, 2024. In total, 1,268 people participated in the survey, and each couple gave their opinion. With the full scope of the results, you can learn more about bridal couples and their preferences for year 2024!
From survey topics ranging from the first encounter of bridal couples to the honeymoon, Bridal Times is pleased to present you with a preview of the results that just might be of interest for your bridal businesses.
In which season do German bridal couples prefer to get married?
Summer remains not only the most popular season for wedding celebrations, it has even become more popular. With 58.3 percent, an additional 3.7 percent of couples now opt for a wedding in warm and sunny weather. The most popular date, when all potential guests should keep a slot open, is June 1, 2024. Most weddings take place on this day.
Those who celebrate their wedding in winter can snag the best bargains. However, seemingly fewer people value this. Only one in 33 couples will choose an attractive value-for-money winter offer over the best summer date in 2024. Spring and autumn still seem to be the better alternative for many.
In which season would you marry or which season did you marry?
Civil and/or Ceremonial: How do Germans marry?
When it comes to the question of whether to marry with or without God, everything remains essentially the same compared to the previous year. Only minimal differences are observed in our 2024 wedding study. There is no discernible trend towards or away from church weddings.
The number of couples who marry solely with the obligatory ceremony at the city registry office accounts for about a third, as does the number of couples who marry in a church or with an additional personalized ceremony.
In summary, about two-thirds of all couples marry without the formal blessing of God.
How will you get married or how did you get married?
How much do bridal couples spend on their wedding? What is the budget?
On average, across all budgets, a German wedding in 2024 costs exactly 15,452.50 euros per bridal couple. This is 1,155.00 euros or +8.1 percent more than the previous year. Thus, more money is being spent on weddings again. If about 400,000 couples in Germany get married again, the market volume for the industry will increase from approximately 5.7 billion euros in 2023 to around 6.2 billion euros in 2024.
Most couples, namely 22.5 percent, fall within this price range. Only about one in eight couples is frugal with their wedding expenses, spending less than 5,000.00 euros. And only one in 50 couples splurges, spending more than 40,000 euros on their wedding.
What will be your budget or how much did you spend on your wedding?
Budget Point 1: How much do bridal couples spend on the location, including food and drinks?
The right location, sumptuous food, and plenty of drinks are essential for a wedding. After all, the happiest day of one’s life should have the appropriate setting. Therefore, bridal couples certainly allocate the most money for this part of the budget.
On average, the soon-to-be-married spend 7,803.50 euros of the total budget on the location, including food and drinks. Only 6.4 percent of couples are particularly frugal with this important aspect, spending less than 1,000 euros. Even fewer couples, only 3.4 percent, go all out, spending more than 20,000 euros to celebrate in their dream location.
What will be your budget or how much did you spend on the wedding location (including catering)?
Budget Point 2: How much do bridal couples spend on the DJ and music?
A fun wedding celebration naturally includes atmospheric music or even the right live band. Dancing well into the wedding night is therefore an important budget item. In 2024, bridal couples will spend an average of 1,357.25 euros on this.
While the absolute majority of bridal couples, 54.9 percent, save on this point and allocate costs of under 1,000.00 euros, other couples seem to invest more money for good entertainment. One in 71 couples spends more than 10,000.00 euros on the DJ, band, and music.
What will be your budget or how much did you spend on the Wedding DJ and music?
Budget Point 3: How much do bridal couples spend on the photographer or videographer?
Even more important to the bridal couples than the right accompaniment for the wedding dance seem to be the memories of tomorrow. This refers to the photographic or videographic documentation of the wedding in images and possibly sound. After all, they spend an average of 1,667.00 euros on the right photographer or videographer.
Here too, a large number of couples, 43.6 percent, settle for a photographer or videographer whose services cost under 1,000.00 euros. However, many other jubilant couples spend a bit more money for the best photos and videos of the wedding.
What will be your budget or how much did you spend on wedding photographer or videographer?
Budget Point 4: How much do bridal couples spend on the wedding dress?
The groom usually wears an elegant suit, but the focal point of any wedding is the bride in her wedding dress. Therefore, this item significantly impacts the budget. One could even say that the wedding dress is where the magic happens when it comes to the right appearance. On average, couples spend 1,358.00 euros on the bride’s wedding day look, almost identical to the amount spent on the entire musical accompaniment for the celebration.
Only one in six couples tightens their belts on this budget item and spends less than 500.00 euros on the wedding dress. Most bridal couples invest significantly more. A few—one in 71 couples—spend over 5,000.00 euros on the perfect wedding dress from the right designer.
What will be your budget or how much did you spend on the wedding dress?
Budget Point 5: How much do bridal couples spend on flowers and decorations?
Do flowers and pretty decorations say more than words? Whether it’s the legendary bridal bouquet, table decorations, floral arrangements for the hall, or specific other elements for the decor, festive flowers and pretty accessories are naturally a part of the wedding celebration for most bridal couples!
They give everything a cheerful and natural touch. How would the wedding photos look later without proper decor with floral arrangements? Therefore, bridal couples spend an average of 740.50 euros on the florist or decorator of their choice. Only about one in four couples spends less than 500.00 euros on flowers and decorations.
What will be your budget or how much did you spend on flowers and decoration?
Budget Point 6: How much do bridal couples spend on invitations and stationery, including menu cards, church booklets, and name cards?
Often underestimated, but also a budget item, are the costs for stationery. Whether it’s invitations, place cards, menu cards, church booklets, or name cards, stylish printed materials for a wedding also come with a cost. Well-made printed materials are often helpful in the execution of the wedding, as they provide important information.
On average, bridal couples spend 303.00 euros on perfect stationery for their wedding. However, most of them, nearly six out of ten couples, limit this expense to costs under 250.00 euros. Only a few couples invest more than 500.00 euros in this part.
What will be your budget or how much did you spend on invitation, stationary, menu cards, etc?
Who pays for the wedding?
Wedding debts are not a good deal for the financial industry. Perhaps that’s why there isn’t a well-known product that even focuses on this type of financing. Because when it comes to marriage, debt is still rare. Of the 15,452.50 euros, which is the current average cost of a wedding in Germany, more than three-quarters of all bridal couples pay the entire bill themselves.
Every sixth couple receives financial support from their parents and then covers the difference themselves. Only in 1.9 percent of cases do parents cover all the festivities themselves. In any case, hardly any couple continues to incur debt for their wedding. Only every 19th bridal couple takes out a loan from the bank for their own wedding. It remains to be noted: Germany marries financially sound!
How will you finance or how did you finance your wedding?
Is getting married traditionally in white still in fashion? With or without witnesses?
The answer to the first part of the question is a clear yes! Getting married in white is still popular, as nearly nine out of ten couples opt for it, with only a slight decrease of -2.7 percent compared to 2023. The tradition of marrying in white continues to assert itself, quite literally. The white wedding dress for the bride remains a standard on the wedding day.
The tradition of having witnesses seems to be similarly resilient. Nearly nine out of ten couples still marry with witnesses. They continue to value the support, testimony, and close assistance with advice and action from their witnesses. Although this tradition has experienced slight losses for the second year in a row, it remains a perennial favorite.
To view the comprehensive results of the survey, visit: WeddyPlace (In the German language only)
For those wondering about the state of the wedding industry in Germany: According to the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the number of marriages in 2023 dropped to the second-lowest level since 1950. According to preliminary results, the number of marriages in Germany decreased by 7.6% in 2023 compared to the previous year. In total, approximately 361,000 couples married in 2023 (2022: 390,743). This was the second-lowest number of marriages since the beginning of the time series in 1950, following the year 2021, which was heavily affected by the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic (357,785 marriages).
In 2023, 351,800 marriages (2022: 380,700) were between men and women, and 9,200 marriages (2022: 10,043) were between persons of the same sex, across Germany.