Couples spend an average of $33,000 on their wedding, according to personal finance site WalletHub, which recently ranked the country's best cities to say "I do" in 2019. But what exactly makes a place so wedding-friendly?
» RELATED: This Midtown hotel was named one of the top wedding venues in the U.S.
According to WalletHub researchers, it generally comes down to cost, convenience and the promise of a memorable experience. To determine the best of the best, analysts compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated in the United States and at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across three key dimensions: costs; facilities and services; and activities and attractions.
The three dimensions were further evaluated using 27 relevant metrics, including average wedding cost, chapels and churches per capita, number of attractions, florists per capita, and more.
» RELATED: Best places to have an outdoor wedding in Atlanta
Of the 182 cities on the list, WalletHub ranked Orlando at the very top, followed by Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Atlanta came in fourth. Here’s more on how the city fared:
- Overall rank: 4
- Costs: 67
- Facilities and services: 7
- Activities and attractions: 13
- Hotels per capita: 1
- Venues and event spaces per capita: 1
- Videographers and photographers per capita: 6
- Bridal shops per capita: 6
- Flower shops per capita: 8
- Musicians and DJs per capita: 12
- Wedding chapels and churches per capita: 34
- Event planners per capita: 67
- Average wedding cost: 69
Atlanta, home to popular wedding venues like the Fox Theatre, Hyatt Regency Atlanta Perimeter, Wimbish House or Rhodes Hall, also cracked the top five in last year's ranking, when it placed third.
» RELATED: 6 glorious venues to hold your Georgia wedding
With its column-laden Egyptian Ballroom and Moroccan-style rooftop terrace, the Fox is actually considered one of the South's best places to get hitched. Another destination praised for being "over-the-top, in the best way possible": The Biltmore Ballrooms. This gorgeous Midtown landmark was named one of Brides.com's top wedding venues in 2017.
Brides and grooms looking for some rustic outdoor wedding fun might prefer the unique Smith Family Farm or the Atlanta Botanical Garden's lush Rose Garden.
» RELATED: Atlanta couple wins 'The Knot Wedding of the Year'
Two other Georgia cities — Augusta and Columbus — were also included on WalletHub’s list. They ranked 87th and 115th, respectively.
The worst U.S. cities to hold a wedding, according to WalletHub, are Pearl City, Hawaii; Bridgeport, Connecticut and Warwick, Rhode Island.
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