Is Colorado Among Best States To Get Married?

Weddings tend to be at an all-time high during the summer months as people look to take advantage of the warmer weather, although this can come at a cost. If you’ve already got your heart set on a summer wedding, maybe you’re now at the stage when you’re deciding where? 

Well, the team at BetColorado took a break from Colorado sports betting and have done the hard work for you. How? We've compiled an index revealing the best states to say “I do” based on a number of factors such as weather, marriage/divorce rates, and the average cost of a wedding.

Curious if Colorado has made the cut or if you need to consider looking at options farther away? Just keep on reading to find out!

Colorado is 3rd Best State to Have a Wedding

Lucky for those already from Colorado, the Centennial State actually does appear in our top five best states to say “I do” in third with an index score of 60.3! This is likely down to the fact that being able to enlist the help of an expert should be relatively straightforward as, of all the states in the U.S., it ranks the highest for event planners. After all, why put yourself under unnecessary stress when you can turn to someone whose job is to plan these big events? 

In fact, apart from Utah, it’s one of the best states in our top five for finding other wedding-related services including florists, photographers and bakers. The only real lack of services is for jewelers.  

On top of that, the state itself is just beautiful and has plenty to offer, from mountaintop retreats and ski resorts to rustic barns and so much more. A summer wedding is pretty much guaranteed to be glorious in Colorado, too with the state having an average of 4,960 hours of sunshine per year, and the sixth lowest amount of rainfall (17 inches per year) out of all the U.S. states. 

All of this added together is perhaps why it’s a relatively popular state for ceremonies, with the number of weddings in 2022 equating to 43,765, meaning it’s one of the top 20 most popular U.S. states overall. 

One thing to note: The price tag. Colorado is the most expensive of the top five states in our research, with the average cost of a wedding amounting to $30,034. You might have to take advantage of and win big on Colorado sportsbooks just to be able to afford to get married here. Additionally, while marriage rates are relatively high at 49.8%, it also has the second highest divorce rate of our top five states at 9.7%. 
 

The Rest of The Top 5

Now that we’ve delved into why you might consider Colorado as a wedding location, let’s take a look at the other states which made it into our top five.

1. Utah

Amassing a total index score of 66 out of 100 and taking the top spot is Utah. This is largely down to the convenience of being able to find relevant wedding services for your big day. In fact, Utah ranks in the top five U.S. states overall for the availability of event planners, jewelers, florists, and photographers!

The state also has the lowest divorce rate of all the U.S. states at just 6.8% and the highest marriage rate at 55.8%. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume Utah is the place to get wed if you’re after a successful marriage.

And if that’s not enough, Utah won’t disappoint when it comes to venues for your big day, as you can find all sorts of wonderful spots to host your wedding ceremony and reception. Whether that’s a farm in the countryside or somewhere else magical overlooking the mountains. 

2. Texas

Just missing out in second is Texas, having scored 63.9 in our index. It’s probably not too much of a surprise to see this state so high up considering the fact that there were over 185,000 weddings in this state in 2022 alone. 

As one of the biggest states in the U.S,., couples will have endless options to choose from during the wedding planning process. The glorious summer weather is also another big draw, with an average of 5,137 hours of sunshine per year, the fifth highest of all the states in the US.

4. Florida

In fourth is Florida with an index score of 59.6. Weddings are certainly an expensive occasion, but according to our research, Florida has the cheapest average cost of our top five states at just $23,167. Ideal for any couples on a budget!  

As far as a summer wedding goes, the state certainly has some glorious weather with 4,589 hours of sunshine per year. However, it also ranks in the top five U.S. states for rainfall (average of 54 inches per year). So, it’s probably best to do some research prior to setting a date.

5. North Carolina

Rounding out the top five scoring 59.1 is North Carolina. This state is a great option if you’re on a budget, as it’s the second cheapest of our top five with the average wedding totaling $23,280.

North Carolina is also a great option if you’re after that true Southern charm for your wedding. A naturally beautiful state, bask in nature from the mountains or have a beach wedding where you can look out onto the pristine ocean. 

Methodology

To discover which are the best states to say, “I do”, we acquired data on several key factors: Wedding Costs, Location Popularity, Weather, Service Availability and Marriage/Divorce Rates. These factors consisted of 12 individually weighted metrics, which added to the value of 100. 

• Wedding Costs = 25
  • Average Cost of a Wedding (25)
    • The average cost of a wedding from the Wedding Report taking into account multiple factors such as: Event Location and Venues, Entertainment, Attire & Accessories, Beauty Services, Ceremony Officiators, Event Catering & Bar Service, Event Rentals, Flowers & Decorations, Photography & Video, Planner/Coordinator, Transportation and more.

• Location Popularity = 25
  • Google Searches for X Weddings in the US (20)
    • The total number of yearly searches for over 300 keywords related to weddings in the state, per Keywordtool.io.
  • Number of Weddings in 2022 (5)
    • The number of weddings which took place in that state during 2022, according to Wedding Report.

• Weather = 20
  • Average Rainfall in Inches (10) 
    • The average rainfall in inches per year, according to Google
  • Average Hours of Sunshine (10)
    • Annual average sunlight exposure, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Service Availability = 15
  • Using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics “location quotient” (a measure used to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole), the services were scored accordingly: 
    • Event Planners (3)
    • Jewellers (3)
    • Florists (3)
    • Photographers (3)
    • Bakers (3)

• Marriage and Divorce Rates = 15
  • Divorce Rates (7.5)
    • Divorce rates by state, according to Wisevoter.
  • Marriage Rates (7.5) 
    • Marriage rates by state, according to Census data.

We combined the weighted scores of each factor, for each state, to provide a final index score out of 100. The higher the score, the better the state to tie the knot.