Everything You Wanted to Know About Arkansas Weddings

In our 2019 Arkansas Bride Poll, we asked real brides every little thing about their wedding planning process.

Now, we’re sharing all that valuable insight with y’all in hopes that it’ll make your planning process just a little bit easier!

MOST POPULAR LENGTH OF ENGAGEMENT

10.5 MONTHS
The average length of engagement

MOST POPULAR ANSWERS

15+ MONTHS
(21% of brides)

12 MONTHS
(14% of brides)

3-5 MONTHS
(7% of brides)

MOST POPULAR MONTHS FOR WEDDINGS IN ARKANSAS

26 – Average age of Arkansas bride

28 – Average groom age

174 – Average total guests

FAVORITE SPLURGE

#1 The Dress

#2 Photography

#3 Venue

MOST POPULAR HONEYMOONS

29% of couples were gifted their honeymoon trips.
47% of couples spent less than $5,000 on their honeymoons.

VENUES

From our survey, we discovered more brides are having their ceremonies at an event venue rather than a church or private residence.

We also found more brides tend to have their ceremony and reception at the same location (77%) rather than two different locations (23%).

About 1/3 of the brides we surveyed spent $5,000 or more on their venues.

$4,431
Average spent on venue

THE BUDGET

Budget range of most brides:
$15,000 – $20,000

62% used rental services
(tables, chairs, dance floors, tents, lighting, pipe and drape, etc.)

WEDDING STYLE

POPULAR RECEPTION MUSIC

58% – DJ

18% – Solo Musician

6% – Dance Band

$2,510
Average spent on photography

52%
hired a videographer
(Another 15% wish they had!)

60%
of brides said they did a first look.

63% sent save-the-dates prior to invitations

WEDDING PLANNING

55%
Hired a day-of coordinator

41%
Did not hire a planner or day-of coordinator

14%
Hired day-of coordinator and wedding planner

12%
A planner was included with my venue

4%
Hired a wedding planner only

THE WEDDING PARTY

The majority of brides (42%) asked their bridesmaids to wear the same dress.

38% of brides let their bridesmaids choose their own gowns but all in the same color

20% of brides allowed them to choose what they wore.

The most popular number of bridesmaids: 5

The most popular number of groomsmen: 5

Over 43% of brides spent $1,000+ on flowers.

$1,503
Average spent on florals

TOP 5 MOST POPULAR WEDDING COLORS

WHITE/IVORY

NAVY

PINK

GREEN

BLUSH

MOST POPULAR WEDDING TRANSPORTATION

1. Trolley
2. Vintage Car and Limo (Tie)
3. Party Bus

WHERE ARKANSAS BRIDES FOUND INSPIRATION

In print, 75% of brides reached for Arkansas Bride when planning their wedding.

Stephanie Highfill even said:

“Truly, Arkansas Bride is the only relevant bridal magazine in the area.”

When it came to online inspiration, 58% of Arkansas brides turned to TheKnot.com, followed by Pinterest with 16% of responses.

THE TOP 5 HARDEST PLANNING DECISIONS FOR ARKANSAS BRIDES

1.
Nailing down the guest list

2.
Choosing a venue

3.
Picking décor

4.
Planning a menu

5.
Selecting florals

THE DRESSES

10 Gowns
The average number of dresses tried on before brides found “the one”

80%
of brides tried on at least 4 dresses before finding “the one”

$1,468
Average wedding gown cost

27%
spent more than $2,000

62%
of brides spent over $1,000 on their gowns

45%
of brides only went to one bridal boutique to find their gowns while 38% of brides went to 2-3

GROOM & GROOMSMEN FASHION

JEWELRY

57% of grooms purchased the wedding band at the same jewelry store where they picked out the engagement ring.

How Grooms Chose the Ring

37%
Bride gave hints, but groom bought ring on his own

36%
Groom picked ring out himself

27%
Brides picked out ring with groom

WEDDING PRESENTS

BEAUTY

Most brides (78%) got their makeup professionally done on their big day.

How Brides Got Ready for Their Big Day

CATERING

The most popular catering option was a buffet.

The majority of brides opted not to serve alcohol at their weddings but those that did went with beer and wine instead of an open bar.

90% of brides opted for a traditional wedding cake.

Most brides spent an average of $506 on their wedding desserts.

REGISTRY

Arkansas Bride’s favorite registry items

1. Dishes/China/Pots & Pans
2.	KitchenAid Mixer	6.	Vacuum
3.	Cash/Gift Cards	7.	Crockpot
4.	Kitchen Gadgets/Tools/Knives	8.	Keurig
5.	Bedding	9.	Monogrammed Household Items

Honorable mention: Roomba & Ninja