PROVIDED BY JEANDOUSSET.COM
It’s no secret that millennials are choosing to do things differently than generations before them. Their relationships are no exception, as they choose to move in together sooner and get married later than their parents.
When millennials do decide to get married, their weddings look different, too. Gone are the days of religious ceremonies, rice showers, and cans tied to cars, having been replaced by millennials with traditions of their own, such as first looks and sparkler exits. What other wedding traditions are millennials leaving behind? We asked 1,850 newlyweds to find out.
Traditions aren’t the only thing millennials are saying goodbye to. Less than one in five millennial weddings are paid for by the bride’s family – instead, that cost is more often shouldered by the couples themselves. According to respondents, almost half paid for their own wedding, and when they did, they split costs evenly. This includes the wedding dress, which one in four couples bought together.
When receiving financial help from family or splitting costs themselves isn’t feasible, millennials aren’t afraid to turn to others for help: fifteen percent of respondents said they asked for donations to a wedding fund and that on average, thirty percent of guests contributed. In fact, guests donated even more than what respondents said they expected, giving an average of $100 to help bring their dream day to life.
Honeymoon funds are also growing in popularity. When asked, one in five respondents said they asked donations in lieu of gifts. Guests were equally likely to donate to a honeymoon fund as they were to a wedding fund (thirty percent of guests donated), giving an average of $93 each.
Regardless of the traditions, millennials choose to incorporate or leave behind, we can be sure that making the big day their own will make them happiest: ninety-three percent of respondents said it lived up to their expectations.
Methodology
Between October 4th and October 9th, 2019, we surveyed 1,850 people who have gotten married within the last five years. Forty percent of the respondents were men, sixty percent were women, and the average age was thirty percent.
