Throw the confetti

Houston puts a ring on it as 8th best U.S. city to get married in 2025

Wedding bells are ringing in Houston.

Put your hands up, Houston. H-Town has climbed through the ranks to become one of the top 10 best places to get married in America this year, according to a just-released study from WalletHub.

WalletHub 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 ranks No. 8 for 2025, and especially stands out for activities and attractions (No. 10) and facilities and services (No. 15).

With more than 130 different wedding venues to choose from throughout the Houston area, there's no shortage of beautiful and unique locations to tie the knot. Plus, the bride and bridesmaids can get the party started early with with a shopping spree at Houston's 41st annual Bridal Extravaganza Show, or a luxurious spa getaway.

"Certain cities also make wedding planning easier with an abundance of options for wedding essentials, from florists to videographers to venues," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. "The more options a city has, the more likely you are to receive competitive pricing and to find places that can work with your optimal schedule."

It's equally important to be budget-conscious, as weddings can cost about $35,000 on average, WalletHub said.

"When weddings can cost tens of thousands of dollars and prices have only become even more outrageously inflated in recent years, it pays to hold your wedding in a city that’s affordable, both for those paying for the wedding and for guests who will need to make accommodations," said Lupo.

For the avid DIY-ers out there, there's plenty of tasks that can be accomplished without shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars – such as creating special floral arrangements using unconventional vessels as vases.

Houston is the second best place to get married in Texas, with Austin climbing into first place statewide and No. 6 nationally. Two additional Texas cities made it into the top 25 best places to get married: San Antonio (No. 20) and Dallas (No. 23).

The top 10 best places to get married in the U.S.in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Orlando, Florida
No. 2 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – Tampa, Florida
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Houston, Texas
No. 9 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 10 – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

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catch the bouquet

Houston woos spot on top-10 list of best places to get married in 2026

Wedding, couples, best places to get married

Photo by Luwadlin Bosman on Unsplash

Let's get hitched.

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

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