Houston is in line to catch the bouquet as the 7th best place to get married in the U.S. in 2026, according to a new study.
WalletHub's 2026 "Best Places to Get Married" report ranked 182 U.S. cities based on the average wedding costs; the number of venues, vendors, and services; and the number of activities and attractions in every city.
Houston moved up one spot from last year's ranking as the 8th best place to get hitched nationwide.
H-Town was bested by the usual suspects: Wedding-crazed Las Vegas, Nevada (No. 1); the Florida cities of Orlando (No. 2), Miami (No. 3), and Tampa (No. 5); and Atlanta, Georgia (No. 4). Austin also ranked just one place ahead of Houston in the No. 6 spot.
Based on the report's findings, Houston's entertainment scene and tourism popularity helped rank No. 8 in the "activities and attractions" category, and its wedding facilities and services are the 18th best nationally.
The Knot shows there are more than 400 Houston wedding venues for couples to tour, including scenic gardens and fancy hotels downtown.
Weddings don't come cheap, and couples spend about $33,000 on average for their special day, according to The Knot. Houston ranked No. 64 in the costs category out of all 182 U.S. cities in the report, proving that the city isn't as costly as other popular wedding destinations.
"Tying the knot is a huge commitment, and the wedding industry in 2025 was worth nearly $66.2 billion, down quite a bit from $78 billion a few years earlier," the report's author wrote.
With all the stress and time that goes into planning a wedding months or years in advance, it's no wonder that experienced wedding planners are in high demand for couples, the study said.
Other top Texas wedding destinations
Houston and Austin were the only two Texas cities to make the top 10 best places to get married, while Dallas ranked just outside the top 10 in 13th place. San Antonio ranked 20th nationally, and El Paso ranked No. 32 on the list.
Seven more Texas cities earned spots among the top 100: Fort Worth (No. 44), Lubbock (No. 74), Amarillo (No. 79), Plano (No. 82), Arlington (No. 90), Laredo (No. 99), and Corpus Christi (No. 100).
The top 10 best places to get married in 2026 are:
- No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
- No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
- No. 3 – Miami, Florida
- No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
- No. 5 – Tampa, Florida
- No. 6 – Austin, Texas
- No. 7 – Houston, Texas
- No. 8 – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- No. 9 – San Diego, California
- No. 10 – Los Angeles, California
