The Knot, a popular U.S. wedding resource website, found that readers spent an average of $5,855 on engagement rings in 2014, up 5 percent compared with 2013, according to a survey by the company .
The Knot found that the total average spending on weddings by its fan base increased 5 percent on the year to $31,213, while the average number of guests in attendance has shrunk to 136 from 149 in 2009.
“Couples are focusing on creating an amazing guest experience and reception details, including finding unique venues to reflect their personality,” said Rebecca Dolgin, the editor in chief of The Knot.
She added that the biggest change in wedding planning has been the number of brides using their mobile phone to plan their wedding, nearly double the amount recorded three years ago, according to a report by Rapaport.
Other trends included couples choosing more personalized and unique venue locations and greater spending on elements in the reception and less on the ceremony.
While average spending on most categories of the wedding increased, the survey found that 45 percent of the website's fans exceeded their budget, 26 percent stayed within budget and only 6 percent were under the budget planned for a wedding.
Of the nearly 16,000 U.S. brides and grooms who participated in the survey, 23 percent said they didn’t have a budget at all.
Engagement rings were the second most expensive item in the average wedding budget, following the venue, which cost $14,006 on average.
