Engagement and Wedding Ring Report 2011

• In 2010, brides and grooms spent $9.64 billion on engagement rings and wedding bands
• Just over $1 billion of the $9.64 billion was spent online
• Most couples purchase their engagement and wedding rings from large local (national chain) jewelers
• Other or Local (independent) jewelers make up the majority of the total market
• Diamond use for groom wedding bands saw the biggest increase in demand
• Engagement ring average carat weight is 1.18
• The diamond shape “Round” makes up more than half of what consumers want
• When it comes to diamond clarity many brides and grooms simply don’t know what it is
• White gold continues to be the most popular metal choice
• 26.3% of couples said they personalize or customize their engagement ring and wedding bands
• When it comes to engagement rings and wedding bands, brides and grooms say that durability, design and style are most important
• The bride and groom pay for more than 95% of the cost of the engagement ring and wedding bands
• The prime timeframe appears to be at least 6 months plus for both researching and paying for the engagement ring and wedding bands
• By far, most couples use Internet search engines to research their engagement ring and wedding bands

Wedding Vendors

• Total businesses serving wedding industry: 541,900
• Average number of weddings served by a single business: 77
• Average gross wedding sales by a single business: $142,047
• Average amount spent on advertising: $3,772
• Total wedding business advertising sales: $1.91 billion

US Weddings

1945 - 2009 Source: US Census, CDC

1945 Source: Saturday Evening Post; 5/26/1945, Vol. 217 Issue 48, p11-46, 4p
1990,1999 Source: Christian Science Monitor; 6/4/2001, Vol.93 Issue 132, p12
2002 Source: Fairchild Bridal Group The American Wedding
2005 - 2010 Source: The Wedding Report, Inc. Proprietary Surveys

US Weddings Cost