Everything You Need to Know About Weddings in 2015

It’s been said that you have to look to the past to see the future, so for weddings in 2015, it’s all about 2014. The Knot released its eighth annual survey of 16,000 brides and grooms to discover spending habits of the newly betrothed in order to inform the engaged of what to expect. “While wedding budgets continue to rise, with the national average at $31,213, guest lists are shrinking. The average wedding now has 136 guests, down from 149 in 2009,” said Rebecca Dolgin, editor in chief of The Knot. “Couples are focusing on creating an amazing guest experience and reception details, including finding unique venues to reflect their personality. Perhaps the biggest change we’ve seen is in the amount of brides using their mobile phone to plan their wedding—it has doubled in just three years.”

Here’s everything you need to know about weddings for the next year, from color schemes to location cost.

Getting married this year? Expect to spend about $31,213 — and that’s not even including the honeymoon. The survey also found that soon-to-betrothed individuals spent more in 2014 on their reception as opposed to the ceremony, doling out the dough on catering, musicians, and cake. Even though many couples set budgets, almost half of them couldn’t stick with it. While conventions say that the father of the bride pay for the big day, but typically they actually only contribute 43 percent, the bride and groom spend the same percentage, and the groom’s parents 12 percent. Interestingly, only 12 percent of couples pay for it entirely on their own.

The United States average, according to the latest U.S. Census Data, is 27 for women and 29 for men. Americans in general are getting married later in life and this survey proves it.

Prepare to tap four to five of your nearest and dearest BFFs to stand by your side at the alter and force into some ugly dresses that make them look less pretty than you do.

Just as the average wedding has 4 to 5 bridesmaids, there are the same amount of groomsmen to match.

Break away from white and try one of these trendy colors.

Dark blue is the most popular of them all. Since 2008, when only 10 percent of respondents incorporated the color into their theme, the number has grown to 24 in the latest round of results.

The most popular time for loved ones to get down on one knee and ask, ‘Will you marry me?’ is December. Why? Perhaps because the time of year is holly and jolly. Also the end of year has people reevaluating their priorities and looking ahead to the next 12 months.

Engaged in with winter, married by summer (or fall). June and October are the most popular months with warm weather and beautiful foliage making settings just that much more special.

As much as they’re an investment for the guests, destination weddings are super popular with 24 percent of weddings being a train, plane, or car away.

If you’re inviting guests to a destination weddings, it’s not likely that 136 guests will show up, but that’s the average number across the board.

Most expensive place to get married? Manhattan. The Palace ain’t come cheap.

The least expensive state to tie the knot is Utah with couples spending about $15,257

And most importantly, women spend about $1,357 on their dress. Gowns come in all shapes, sizes, and prices. Brides in Manhattan and Long Island spend the most on their dresses ($2,914 and $2,137, respectively), while Idaho and Alaska brides spend the least ($982 and $925, respectively).

Moral of the story: Have a trendy destination wedding in the midwest.