My guess is, that there are plenty of great places to get married in South Dakota. However, since this study, done by the number-crunching wizards at Wallet Hub, only looked at the 180 most populated cities in the U.S., the results for our state become an "east river" versus "west river" thing.

Statistics say that the average wedding costs this year are right around $22,500. How you determine what the average wedding is- - I'm not sure. Do you choose an average venue, average flowers, average wedding planner, etc?

Who gets to decide where all of these "average" things can be found? I think a different term may need to be used. I can't think of one wedding I've ever attended where the bride or groom rated their wedding as average.

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And yes, I do realize the term "average" is referring to cost and not quality. But I digress.

In this little contest of "where to say I do" and why - - Rapid City kicks Sioux Falls' collective "wedding spot" butt.

What makes a city "wedding-friendly" and thus a great place to get married?

  • Costs - Of course, this only makes sense, and in this category, Rapid City came in 21st out of the 180 cities in the study. Sioux Falls was 84th.
  • Facilities & Services - Again, Rapid City came in ahead of Sioux Falls at 98th, Sioux Falls - 120th.

This category includes everything from the number of event planners available, to the number of flower and gift shops per capita, number of hotels, bartenders, DJs, make-up artists and hair salons, etc.

  • Activities & Attractions - Do I need to say it? Rapid City has Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, and Sylvan and Pactola Lakes, to name just a few. And that's not even all the kitschy touristy trap attractions in close proximity! Yes, Rapid City bested Sioux Falls here too - 63rd to 120th position.

As I said before there are a lot of great places to plan your wedding and people do. Everyday. All over the world.

Source: Wallet Hub

10 Smallest Towns in South Dakota

South Dakota is loaded with small towns in every corner of the state. But where are the tiniest towns in the Mount Rushmore state?

According to the latest census data, here are the ten smallest towns in all of South Dakota. You won't believe which tiny town lands at number one.

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