Boston Bridal Blog: Attention All Runaway Brides (and Grooms)!

Ever experienced a pang of guilt over the fact that your dream wedding is going to cost more than a down payment on a new home? Just imagine how the gals who wind up canceling their nuptials over wedding-day jitters feel. That’s just what the folks over at The Street did when they looked at the true price of cold feet.

According to TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com, the average bill for a wedding in the U.S. last year was $26,984, and the engagement ring, wedding bands, gown, groom’s attire, and bridal-party getups alone — all nonrecoverable costs — make up nearly 30 percent of that price tag. Add to that penalty fees levied by reception and ceremony sites, and breaking up before the big day is certainly not a cheap proposition. In Boston, where even mid-range hotels charge $150-plus per person just for the catering package, the damage could be even greater.

But The Street isn’t really telling us anything new. As long as there have been weddings, there have been runaway brides (and grooms), and it’s rare to hear of a couple these days who doesn’t have to write a check for a hefty deposit and/or enter into a contract with a reception site that lays out steep fees for canceling close to the wedding date. Put simply: Couples who aren’t aware of the repercussions of putting their wedding on ice just haven’t read their contracts very carefully. Here’s hoping they at least read this article.

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