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

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

weddings houston rankings wallethub

This Week's Hot Headlines

Classic Houston steakhouse ranks No. 2 in America and more top stories

Taste of Texas/Facebook

Taste of Texas took the No. 2 spot on the list.

Editor's note: It's time to catch up on the top Houston news of the week, starting with two steakhouses finding the national spotlight. Plus, a Midtown bar announces last call and a crawfish favorite expands. Read on for our five most popular stories, then head here to plan your weekend.

1. Classic Houston steakhouse ranks No. 2 in America on Yelp top 100. When it comes to Yelp's top restaurants, people have the power. The online reviews platform has compiled user opinions to find out which restaurants across the country have the best reputations. Seven Houston-area restaurants made the top 100, with a classic steakhouse coming in second overall.

2. Houston steakhouse makes 2026 list of America's most romantic restaurants. Locals might want to make their Valentine's Day reservations early. Houston's iconic Pappas Bros. Steakhouse at the Galleria has been spotlighted in OpenTable's 2026 list of the top 100 most romantic restaurants in America.

3. Midtown bar with creative cocktails and craft taps will close in February. A staple Midtown cocktail bar will soon serve its last drink. Wooster’s Garden will close on February 12, co-owner Jeff Barati announced.

Last call for Wooster's Garden. Photo courtesy of Wooster's Garden

4. Essential Houston crawfish joint heads to Beaumont for new location. One of Houston’s favorite destinations for crawfish is heading east. BB’s Tex-Orleans will open its 12th location this spring.

5. Texas fave Blue Bell previews new high-protein frozen dessert. Blue Bell is flexing a new product line, and this time it's not a new flavor, but a new nutritional wonder: a "high-protein frozen dairy dessert."