The Knot: $49,000 for New York State, $88,000 for the city, and nothing for Long Island
The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study surveyed 10,474 US couples who married in 2025. The press release of 18 February 2026 puts the national average at $34,000; the article, updated 28 July 2026, says $34,200. We print both. Average guest count was 117, spend per guest $292, and couples hired 13 vendors.
For New York State the average is $49,000. For New York City it is $88,000. There is no line for Long Island, and none for either county.
The Knot's separate NYC metro page, updated 7 July 2025, gives a total of $75,005 with a range of $32,380 to $101,190. Manhattan is $87,700 on that page and the outer boroughs $62,310. So The Knot itself prints $88,000 and $75,005 for the city, from two pages a year apart. Neither is Long Island.
Venues get their own page, updated 6 May 2026. National average $12,900, median $10,400, lower quartile $3,500, upper quartile $24,800. The New York State venue average is $21,300, against New Jersey's $27,710 and Connecticut's $18,630. On that page 74 percent of venues include rentals, 41 percent include catering, 37 percent include alcohol and 7 percent are space only.
Zola: a New York State range of $43,400 to $65,100
Zola's cost page, dated 6 March 2026, puts the national average at $36,000 and New York State at $43,400 to $65,100. Its city figures are Manhattan $99,452 and Brooklyn $94,787, both at 150 guests. Zola's line items are national: venue and site fees $8,573; catering $6,927; bar $5,542; flowers and decor $6,345; photography $4,400; videography $3,993; planning $4,047; music $1,567; hair and makeup $982; cake $917; invitations $500; officiant $325. Unexpected costs average $3,314, and Zola says service charges and gratuities typically run 18 to 22 percent of vendor costs.
Zola's First Look 2026 survey, of more than 11,500 couples marrying in 2026, adds context: average cost $36,000 at a guest count of 145, with an 18 month engagement. Seventy one percent get family help, and 84 percent believe a 2026 wedding costs more than one two years earlier. Marketplace figures, all of them, and national.
The Wedding Report: the only line item Long Island budget, $45,173 to $55,211 at 75 guests
The Wedding Report publishes a 2026 Long Island Average Wedding Cost Estimate for 75 guests. It says the figures are based on real spending reported by couples rather than vendor price lists. The total is $45,173 to $55,211, which the report puts at about $669 per guest. It is a marketplace estimate, and it is the only Long Island specific line item budget we found.
- Venue, including location, food, bar and rentals: $12,740 to $15,571, which is 28.2 percent of the total.
- Jewelry: $8,626 to $10,542.
- Planner: $5,464 to $6,678.
- Photo and video: $5,225 to $6,387.
- Attire: $3,594 to $4,392.
- Flowers: $2,746 to $3,356.
- Entertainment: $2,350 to $2,872.
- Transportation: $626 to $765.
- Invitations: $446 to $545.
- Officiant: $313 to $383.
- Bakery: $297 to $363.
- Beauty: $297 to $363.
Brides of Long Island says $67,000, and it is a community estimate from 2023
Brides of Long Island, a community site, published its own estimate on 15 September 2023: $67,000 as the current Long Island average. The same post attributes a $61,000 figure to a Newsday article from about five years earlier. Neither number comes with a survey size or a method on the page, so treat both as press and community figures rather than data. They are the highest Long Island numbers in this article, and they are also the least documented.
Two Long Island businesses publish their own ranges, and say so
First party figures, meaning the business's own site, are rare in this market and worth reading with the source in mind. Heritage House Wedding Photography, in a page from August 2026, sorts Long Island photography into three tiers. Coverage focused runs $2,000 to $4,000. Owner operated mid market runs $4,000 to $7,000, and boutique starts at $7,000. Its own collections start at $7,200, which places it in the top tier it describes.
Bayview on the Water, a venue, published a page on 26 May 2026 on Long Island venue starting prices. Budget venues start at $2,500 to $4,000. Mid range starts at $9,000 to $16,850 and up, and high end peak site fees run $15,000 to $22,000 and up. Read that as a venue describing its competitive set. Neither business figure is a survey, and neither is an average.
How to use numbers that were never written for Long Island
Start with the venue, because it is the largest line on every list above. The Wedding Report puts it at 28.2 percent of its Long Island estimate. The Knot's New York State venue average is $21,300, and Zola's national venue and site fee line is $8,573. The Knot listed 207 venues in its Long Island region on 3 September 2026. Get written quotes for your own guest count and date. Then ask each venue for a sample final invoice from a past event with service charge and tax shown, since Zola puts service charges and gratuities at 18 to 22 percent.
When a vendor quotes you an average for Long Island, ask where it came from. As of this reading, no marketplace has one to give.
Sources: The Knot, average cost of a wedding (2026 Real Weddings Study, updated 28 July 2026) · The Knot, average cost of a reception venue (updated 6 May 2026) · The Knot, average wedding cost in NYC (updated 7 July 2025) · Zola, average cost of a wedding (6 March 2026) · The Wedding Report, 2026 Long Island average wedding cost estimate · Brides of Long Island, average cost of a Long Island wedding (15 September 2023) · Heritage House Wedding Photography, Long Island wedding cost (August 2026, first party) · Bayview on the Water, average cost of a Long Island wedding venue (26 May 2026, first party)
Figures read on 3 September 2026. Marketplace figures move; confirm before you budget.
