8 Cities Where a Wedding Will Cost You More Than a Down Payment

Getting married often sparks a number of other financial and life milestones that can include merging finances, having a wedding and buying your first home as a couple. But in some cities, the costs of these milestones can be significant enough that you may have to choose between having a wedding or saving that money and using it for a down payment. And while you would expect that a typical down payment is higher than the average wedding cost in most cities, this isn’t always the case.

A new study by Zoocasa analyzed the average wedding cost in 20 cities using data from The Knot and compared that to an 8% down payment — the typical down payment for first-time homebuyers — on a median-priced single-family home. In these cities, the average cost of a wedding is higher than the typical first-time homebuyer down payment.

• Median single-family home price: $698,800
• 8% down payment: $55,904
• Average wedding cost: $63,000

• Median single-family home price: $392,100
• 8% down payment: $31,368
• Average wedding cost: $56,000

• Median single-family home price: $381,200
• 8% down payment: $31,368
• Average wedding cost: $56,000

• Median single-family home price: $391,300
• 8% down payment: $31,304
• Average wedding cost: $35,000

• Median single-family home price: $387,800
• 8% down payment: $31,024
• Average wedding cost: $32,000

• Median single-family home price: $351,600
• 8% down payment: $28,128
• Average wedding cost: $37,000

• Median single-family home price: $280,700
• 8% down payment: $22,456
• Average wedding cost: $32,000

• Median single-family home price: $225,700
• 8% down payment: $18,056
• Average wedding cost: $31,000

Data is sourced from Zoocasa and is accurate as of Oct. 2, 2024.