People spent an average of ¥3.31 million on wedding ceremonies and receptions in fiscal 2008, up ¥133,000 from the previous year, according to Zexy, a wedding magazine published by Recruit Co.
The figure is around ¥370,000 higher than in 2005.
The rise suggests that consumers are willing to spend on celebrations of major life events while curbing living expenses amid the recession.
Wedding expenditures are also rising because of an increase in the number of people getting married later in life, who tend to be in higher income brackets than younger people, while well-to-do parents are also paying part of the costs, industry analysts said.
In addition to weddings, ¥220,000 was spent on average on wedding rings in fiscal 2008, ¥430,000 on wedding attire and ¥210,000 on photography services.
Total wedding-related costs, including honeymoon expenses, climbed to ¥4.33 million. The average amount contributed by relatives was ¥1.98 million, up ¥170,000 from the 2005 survey.
The number of wedding guests averaged 74, unchanged since the 2005 survey, but a larger amount was spent per person.
The Zexy survey covered 7,400 readers across Japan.