Wedding bills: Marriage is a $250 million industry in Utah

Baker's mother, Linda Baker, hopes her daughter's wedding will cost $6,000. The maximum price she will pay for her daughter's wedding is $10,000.

"I think we're going to end up higher than the target — but we're going to be close," she said.

Utah weddings on average cost a modest $12,500 — half the amount spent on a wedding nationally.

Weddings for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often have more guests than other weddings across the nation, but the LDS weddings do not have alcohol, and they often do not have catered buffets or bands for dancing, wedding professionals say. Engagements are shorter on average in Utah than outside the state and couples do not have as much time to save for the big day. The result is that Utahns on average spend less.

"If it's an LDS temple wedding, there's no fee for that," said Robin Saville, owner of BrideAccess.com, formerly UtahBrides.com, a Salt Lake City online wedding planning site. "Or if they hold it in a cultural hall (in an LDS church), there's not a fee for that."

However, LDS weddings are becoming more elaborate. The familiar wedding snack of a cup of peanuts is being replaced with light food such as soup or sandwiches. The number of people invited is decreasing, as well, Saville said.

As the makeup of Utah becomes more ethnically diverse and non-Mormon, the average Utah wedding price is increasing.

For instance, many Hispanic weddings are in Catholic churches, Saville said, with elaborate wedding parties paid for by a combination of parents, grandparents and other relatives.

Second marriages also are becoming more common, Saville said. Couples getting married for a second time are older and usually have more money to spend on a wedding.

Saville had been a wedding videographer when he started www.UtahBrides.com with a former partner in 1997.

The Web site is free for brides. Saville makes money on advertising and sponsorships. The site has a budget planner, a to-do list, links to vendors and weather forecasts. About 1,500 to 1,700 brides are registered on the site at any one time. Several thousand more view the site without registering, Saville said.

In 2003, Saville began a television show covering all aspects of wedding planning. The show also gives away free weddings and features a relationship coach to help stressed-out brides and family members.