Celebrating the most important day of your life in the happiest county in America seems like the perfect coupling, which could explain Loudoun County’s thriving wedding industry.

From picturesque wineries and rustic-chic barns, to historic properties and resorts, Loudoun has more than 50 venues for any dream wedding ceremony and reception.

According to Visit Loudoun, which provides free research and lead services for couples in search of venues and amenities, the average venue in the county hosts between 25-50 wedding events each year. Fifty-eight percent of those venues can host more than 200 attendees using outdoor seating, while the average can hold 100-150 people.

Visit Loudoun reports that venue fees can range from $400 to $14,000, but the average venue charges around $5,700.

Here are some other numbers that help tell the story:

• 1 for affordability: According to a 2014 study by NerdWallet, Inc., Loudoun’s mix of high-income earners and reasonable wedding prices made it the most affordable county in the country for locals to get married. With an average household income of $122,068 and an average all-in wedding cost of $51,281, couples paid only 42 percent of their annual earnings.
• $42 Million: According to a 2014 Washington Post article, newlyweds contributed more than this to the Loudoun County economy in 2013 alone. Given that there are more venues, more amenities, and a 29 percent increase year-over-year in hotel rooms booked for weddings just between 2015 and 2016, it’s safe to say that this number has increased.
• $87 million? According to the 2015 Wedding Report, the average cost of a Loudoun County wedding was calculated at $42,568. With 2,054 reported weddings, that’s an economic impact of more than $87 million. However, this is based on money spent on the wedding, and not necessarily all in Loudoun County.

So why are there large discrepancies in the economic impact numbers? Wedding costs can be hard to quantify, and even harder to qualify.

Aside from the venue and hotel rooms, there are optional costs like the dress, suits, makeup, photographers, videographers, entertainment, food, drinks and whether or not the family pays for guests to stay. There are lots of other non-traditional options as well.

There are also ancillary costs associated with bringing large groups of people together, including money spent on gas and rental cars. These all factor into the total economic impact weddings have on the county.

Looking ahead, Visit Loudoun is working in collaboration with George Washington University to do a comprehensive study of all weddings hosted in the county. The goal is to capture the full economic impact and have an accurate number moving forward.

Also, on November 1, Visit Loudoun will host its Annual Weddings Industry Forum at West Belmont Place. A panel of industry professionals, featuring event designer Lauryn Prattes, Wedding Wire and other local industry experts will tell you what they see in the industry.

For the first time, join breakout sessions on marketing best practices, social media, food and beverage, and same sex weddings.

This is a great event, with the opportunity to network with more than 100 other professionals. Reserve your spot by October 21 by emailing Dana Henry at Visit Loudoun.