If you are about to get married to the person you love, it is important to understand what goes into and influences the average wedding cost. Read on to learn about how factors like the state where you marry directly affect how much your big day will set you back.



Where You Marry Matters
The average wedding cost varies wildly from state to state depending on the availability of various amenities. For example, a wedding in Manhattan could cost you over $78,000.



By comparison, the average cost of a wedding in a relatively small population can cost less than $20,000. In Arkansas, the average wedding cost is about $19,000, and in Nebraska, an average wedding cost is approximately $25,000.

Regional differences can also vary based on the inflated prices of dresses and other wedding items that are often found in more populated areas. Oddly enough, the average cost of a wedding in San Francisco is a relatively inexpensive $42,000.

Expected Costs Per Guest
Another important element to consider is the cost per guest for your wedding. Representing one of the largest hikes in wedding expenses, this figure climbed to $245 from $194 in 2009. While slight inflation has a lot to do with this increase, it doesn't explain everything. A large reason may have to do with the fact that the average wedding party shrank from 149 people to 141 during the same period.

What kinds of costs can drive up your per-guest expense? If your catering budget is $3,000 for 150 people but only 135 show up, your price increases on a per-guest basis. Other factors include the number of tables used at the reception and bathroom rentals.

How much it will cost to rent portable toilets will vary depending on your geographical area. That said, most of these restroom facilities cost about $200 or so for the day. You'll probably need two or three of them at most locations, which adds another $400-$600 to your budget.

Technology Is Playing a Bigger Role
The rise of various technological advances has also contributed to hiking up the costs of weddings. For example, expenses for entertainment jumped from 11 percent to 41 percent in 2009. More people are using games (18 percent), hiring musical entertainment (12 percent), installing photo booths (78 percent) and even using fireworks (8 percent) to make their weddings memorable. These costs can add thousands of dollars to an average budget.

Other technological expenses include the use of phones and tablets to creating unique wedding hashtags and other planning tasks. Wedding websites, which require the purchasing of URLs, can also significantly increase how much your big day will cost. A typical website made on a site like WordPress can cost around $30-$100 to open and maintain during the period leading up to your wedding.

Cost Will Vary by the Couple
In the old days, the bride and her family paid for the entire wedding. While that tradition has changed a lot, they still pay for the majority of it. For example, the bride's family is responsible for paying to rent the church, the priest, an organist, the flower arrangements, all the photos and videos, the reception, the groom's ring and all stationery. There are more costs that they cover, but including all of them would be too lengthy to list here.

The groom and his family pay for the marriage license, officiant's fee, bouquet, boutonnieres, honeymoon, rehearsal dinner, bride's ring, musical entertainment at the reception, food at the reception and liquor. While there are fewer demands on the groom and his family, they still end up paying for at least 30 percent of the wedding.