Social media and cost of picture perfect wedding

For most people, wedding is a once in a lifetime affair, so it has to be grand, larger than life, ‘never seen it before’ kind of event. And obviously, grand things come at grand prices. The average cost of a wedding has risen for the fifth-straight year to $32,641, according to The Knot. And experts believe, its lot to do with social media and easy access to the Internet.

"It's really hard for couples to turn off wedding planning," says Kim Forrest, editor at WeddingWire, an online marketplace for the wedding industry. "Before there was the internet, people got inspired through magazines. It was very easy to put the magazine away, and take off your wedding-planning hat and divide your life. Now people are always on their phones. It's really easy to have a browser open at work."

Social media sites like Instagram, Pinterest let men and women check on endless options for their wedding and this often leads couples to change their minds when they see something better, which can increase the costs according to Forrest.

Kristen Maxwell Cooper, executive editor of The Knot says that "Social media has definitely influenced weddings in a way that couples are seeking larger-than-life ideas." "I think they are having greater expectations for how their day should look and feel."

She points out that 89 percent of couples are using their smartphones to plan their weddings, meaning their wedding planner is always at their side.

Brides’ editor-in-chief Keija Minor believes that the proliferation of choices on social media has led couples to believe that many of the high-cost wedding features are attainable with the average budget. They want everything picture-perfect about the wedding. Every friend and guest is now a wedding photographer, posting pictures to their Facebook feeds or through in-the-moment Snapchats. And, it's leading couples to spend more on personalizing the experience for their guests.

According to WeddingWire's 2015 Newlywed Report, the average number of guests at a wedding has dropped from 130 people to 120 people between 2014 and 2015. However, the cost per guest has risen from $218 to $241. About three-quarters of couples now go over budget.

At the end of the day, as Minor says, it's good to be inspired by these things, but you should remain balanced in your way of thinking. Have a good time, no matter what, it’s your wedding day after all.