Dallas and Fort Worth ranked in the top half of 2022’s Best Places to Get Married, according to a new WalletHub study.
WalletHub ranked Dallas at number fifty-five while Fort Worth placed at number eighty out of 182 cities on the list. The average wedding cost in both Dallas and Fort Worth is $25,786.
“Some of the factors that kept the two cities from ranking higher include the small number of videographers and photographers per capita,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Another area where Dallas and Fort Worth ranked low is the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated.”
Orlando, Florida, where the average cost of a wedding is $19,827, landed the top spot.
“One of the factors that contributed to Orlando being the best place to get married in the U.S. is its low price for a three-star hotel room,” Gonzales told The Dallas Express. “Other metrics where the city ranked high include the large number of venues and event spaces, party equipment rentals, photo booth rentals, videographers and photographers, musicians and DJs, makeup artists and hair salons, bridal shops, flower and gift shops, limousine rentals, hotels, restaurants and bars, floral designers, cake shops and wedding fairs per capita.”
Orlando also has many attractions, is a popular travel destination, and scores high in terms of food-friendliness and amusement and entertainment, according to WalletHub data.
“To catch up with Orlando, Dallas and Fort Worth would need to improve across the board,” Gonzalez said. “They should have lower costs and score better in terms of facilities, services, activities, and attractions.”
The economic advantage for a city to be a good or best place to be married is that it attracts people to visit the city and increases tourism revenues, according to Gonzalez.
“Weddings can often be an economic boost to local businesses, and the two cities’ economies would benefit from that if they ranked higher on the list,” she said.
The WalletHub study also found that Arlington and Plano ranked lower than Dallas and Fort Worth at 104 and 108, respectively.
“Arlington and Plano ranked in the bottom half because of the large average wedding costs and the small number of wedding chapels and churches, bridal shops, and bartenders per capita,” Gonzalez said. “They also have very few attractions. Dallas and Fort Worth have more flower and gift shops, hotels, restaurants and bars, bartenders, and floral designs per capita, as well as more attractions. They’re more popular as travel destinations and rank higher for amusement and entertainment.”
Irving and Garland are in the bottom half, along with Grand Prairie at No. 115, 141, and 153, respectively.
“The three cities would also rank higher if they had more attractions, more food-friendliness, and more amusement and entertainment options,” Gonzalez added. “Any and all kinds of things to do, as well as more wedding facilities and services would boost the scores of the North Texas cities.”
