STATS OF THE UNION
Average cost of a wedding: $27,690 Average length of an engagement: 17 months
Average age of a bride: 26
Average age of a groom: 28 Number of weddings in the U.S. in 2006: 2,155,000

JULY BEATS JUNE
Though June is commonly regarded as the most popular month for weddings, more people actually got married in July than during any other month in 2004, 2005 and 2006

LAUREN & DAVID BLAIR hold the record for the most marriage vow renewals. First marrying in 1984, they wed for the 83rd time, on Aug. 16, 2004, in Las Vegas

THE WORLD'S LARGEST WEDDING CAKE was baked at the Mohegan Sun Casino by chef Lynn Mansel in 2004. It weighed 15,032 lbs. and could feed up to 59,000 people

Texas is estimated to play host to the most weddings this year—a whopping 191,072—while North Dakota will have the fewest, with 4,192

The longest wedding dress train measured 3,949.8 feet and was worn in Caudry, France, on Aug. 5, 2006

• Around 116,000 weddings take place in Las Vegas each year
• The average number of wedding guests is 167
• Average price of an engagement ring: $2,100
• Average price of a wedding band: $650
• 50% to 60% of couples live together before marrying

AVERAGE NUMBER OF WEDDINGS TAKING PLACE IN THE US EVERY DAY: 5,904

The largest underwater wedding took place March 26, 2005, when 208 divers in scuba gear dove in to see Stuart J. Rex and Misty Kuykendall wed in a swimming pool in Bakersfield, Calif.

12 MILLION DOLLARS
The most expensive wedding dress on record was laced with 150 carats of diamonds. It was created by dressmaker Renee Strauss and jeweler Martin Katz. No one bought it

$60,000,000
THAT'S HOW MUCH BILLIONAIRE LAKSHMI MITTAL PAID FOR HIS DAUGHTER VANISHA'S '04 WEDDING—THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE NUPTIALS ON RECORD

Sources: Guinness Book of World Records, U.S. Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Association for Wedding Professionals International and The Wedding Report