Editing Wedding reception (section)

===Expense===
[[File:Formal Black Tie Wedding Reception.png|thumb|alt=A black tie wedding reception held at the Society Room in Hartford, Connecticut.|A [[black tie]] wedding reception held at the Society Room in [[Hartford, Connecticut]]]]
The [[median]] cost of a wedding, including both the ceremony and reception, has generally outpaced the rate of inflation. In the United States, as of 2016, the average price is $35,329, steadily rising year over year, as it also has in the UK where the average cost was £25,090,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-planning/organising-and-planning/the-average-wedding-cost-in-the-uk-revealed/|title=How Much Does a Wedding Cost? The UK Average Revealed|website=hitched.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2020-01-18|archive-date=2020-04-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429124016/https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-planning/organising-and-planning/the-average-wedding-cost-in-the-uk-revealed/|url-status=live}}</ref> rising roughly 7000 pounds<ref name=":0" /> from two years prior. In Australia, the cost is $36,200 (AUD). Approximately 50% of a couple's entire wedding budget is spent on the reception alone. This is primarily due to the cost of food and alcohol.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brightweddingideas.com/receptions.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708094128/http://www.brightweddingideas.com/receptions.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2011-07-08|title=Wedding Receptions|website=BrightWeddingIdeas.com}}</ref> The wedding industry is a huge industry grossing $161 billion annually, according to Rebecca Mead, author of ''One Perfect Day''.<ref>{{cite web|title=The wedding-industrial complex|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0608/p08s01-comv.html|website=Christian Science Monitor|access-date=4 June 2016|page=8|date=8 June 2007|archive-date=15 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415123927/http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0608/p08s01-comv.html|url-status=live}}</ref>