For many people, their wedding is one of the most important days of their lives — and they want everything to be perfect.
That means sparing no expense.The average US wedding today costs a cool $34,000, according to Jeffra Trumpower, creative director of WeddingWire, a marketplace connecting couples with wedding professionals. And wedding costs continue to rise, according to The Washington Post, so much so that wedding loans have become common practice.
Butthat hefty sum of $34,000 doesn't account for another formidable expense that newlyweds must face: the honeymoon.Amid all the excitement and anxiety of planning the big day, sometimes honeymoon budgeting falls by the wayside.
So how much exactly should you be spending on your honeymoon?
We spoke to three experts in the wedding industry to find out the answer. Here's what they had to say.
Honeymoon expenses should be included in the total wedding budget
Trumpower says thatUS couples today spend an average of $4,500 on their honeymoon, which is about11.6% of their total budget.
Other estimates were in the same ballpark. Wedding planner Tyler Speier told Business Insiderhe recommends that couples set aside anywhere from 10% to 15% of their wedding budget for their honeymoon.And Jennifer Spector, director of brand marketing for Zola, a wedding planning and registry website, told Business Insider thatthe average US couple spends $5,000 on their honeymoon, or about 15% of their wedding budget.
Of course, how much a couple allots for their honeymoon depends on personal preference.
"Each couple has different priorities and visions of their wedding celebrations," Trumpower told Business Insider. "For couples who love to travel, spending almost half of their overall wedding budget on their honeymoon may be a no-brainer."