Survey results show LGBT and heterosexual wedding planning habits

With same-sex marriage licenses flooding out of Boulder and Denver counties, it’s time to do some wedding planning. For the second year in a row, TheKnot.com and The Advocate have conducted and released a large survey about the habits of wedding planning of both heterosexual and homosexual couples. The results are striking and listed below:

• As marriage equality continues to be legalized in more states across the country, the words “commitment ceremony” and “civil union” are becoming scarcer. Eighty-two percent of same-sex couples refer to this occasion as their wedding in invitations, up from 70 percent in 2013.
• Seventy-one percent of same-sex couples will have a ceremony and reception, as opposed to 96 percent of straight couples. Twelve percent of same-sex couples will only have a ceremony, and 7 percent of couples are planning to simply host a reception.
• Same-sex couples are less likely to have a formal proposal (58 percent) than straight couples (94 percent).
• Proposing with a ring is not as common for same-sex couples, with about two out of three couples (62 percent) exchanging an engagement ring before or after the proposal.
• When it comes to wedding attire, nearly all (91 percent) of same-sex couples know what their partner is wearing in advance, with 49 percent of male same-sex couples and 20 percent of female same-sex couples wearing matching outfits.
• As a nod to customary wedding wear, 42 percent of both female and male same-sex couples are wearing a suit or tuxedo as their wedding day attire.
• The “walk down the aisle”: Less than half (45 percent) of same-sex couples did or plan to walk down the aisle. Of those couples, 59 percent of female same-sex couples will be escorted by a family member, along with 37 percent of male same-sex couples.
• Forty percent of male same-sex couples and 30 percent of female same-sex couples plan to walk down the aisle together.
• Straight couples are more likely to tie religion into their ceremony (63 percent), while only 38 percent of same-sex couples will incorporate religion.
• Writing vows is more common for same-sex couples, with nearly half (49 percent) writing their own, compared to about one in four (23 percent) straight couples.
• Only 35 percent of same-sex couples plan to set up a wedding registry, compared with 87 percent of straight couples.
• In a more traditional move, 79 percent of straight brides will change their last name to the groom’s last name, while 54 percent of same-sex couples will keep their given last names. Forty-one percent of female same-sex couples and 23 percent of male same-sex couples will change their last name to their partner’s.
• Although same-sex couples are spending less on average ($15,849) on their weddings than straight couples ($29,858), they’re having more intimate affairs (77 guests on average versus 138) and still investing just as much on their guests, with an average spend of $205 per head (compared with $220 per head for straight couples).
• When it comes to finances, 85 percent of same-sex couples are paying for their wedding themselves, compared with only 13 percent of straight couples.
• The 63 percent of same-sex couples going on a honeymoon are taking more luxe trips than straight couples, with an average spend of $4,965, compared to $4,744 for the 77 percent of straight couples who take a honeymoon.