State of the Wedding Industry Q3-Q4 2011 Results

by Shane McMurray in State of the Wedding Industry

Current results from the Q3-Q4 2011 State of the Industry Study are now available.

2011 Wedding Cost Update:

2011 Wedding Cost Update 3.4% decrease from 2010 Spending

Wedding Index Update:

The Wedding Index Update Q3-4 2011

Wedding Business Reported Trends:

State of the Wedding Industry Business Reported Trends Q3Q4-2011

We are working on updates for number of wedding businesses, how many weddings they service, how much they spend on advertising, and other business related items.

Wedding numbers, including cost data will be updated for all areas by the end of February… Continue reading

State of the Wedding Industry Business Reported Trends Q3Q4-2011

by Jen Michalski, PhD in State of the Wedding Industry

With over 450 responses provided by various vendors in the wedding industry, what you are seeing as current trends in the wedding industry as a whole in Q3Q4 – 2011 is very similar to what was seen in Q1Q2 – 2011. There are again an overwhelming number professional wedding photographers seeing couples opting for less experienced, less well known, and often times new to the scene photographers, instead of higher priced, more experienced, professional photographers. More and more new photographers are popping up on the scene offering much lower prices than the more experienced photographers and in a climate where couples are on tight budgets, these lower prices are more appealing to them. “Couples are choosing aggressive pricing over quality and experience”, one vendor says. For similar reasons, more couples… Continue reading

The Wedding Index Update Q3-4 2011

by Shane McMurray in State of the Wedding Industry

The wedding Index update for Q3-4 2011. Overall, a significant improvement over previous years. Despite lower spending and lots of DIY in 2011, vendors saw an increase in average spending and number of couples getting married. One interesting point on six month sales expectations as both excellent and poor saw an increase over previous years.

Q1-2 2010 Q3-4 2010 Q1-2 2011
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2011 Wedding Cost Update 3.4% decrease from 2010 Spending

by Shane McMurray in State of the Wedding Industry, Wedding

The total average wedding spending for 2011 was $25,631, a 3.4% decrease from the 2010 total of $26,542. When adjusted for inflation, the average wedding cost decreased by almost 6%. Gift/s for Attendants, Wedding Bands, Rehearsal Dinner, Engagement Announcements, and Gift/s for Parents saw the biggest decrease in spending. Planner Full Service, Photo Engagement Session, Ceremony Location, Reception Rentals, and Reception Location saw the biggest increase in spending.

The final US wedding cost numbers for 2011 are in the table below. We will be updating the site within the next month to reflect changes in all areas of the country.

Category
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Wedding Statistics New York, NY Metropolitan Area

by Shane McMurray in Wedding

New York, NY Metropolitan Area is the largest wedding market in the U.S. with just over 116,000 weddings per year. Couples spend 24% more than the average U.S. wedding with a total market value of $3.8 billion. The technical CBSA (Core Based Statistical Area) name for New York, NY is: New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA and you can get a complete Wedding Statistics Report for the New York, NY Metropolitan Area here.

New York, NY Metropolitan Area accounts for 5% of all U.S. weddings.

Couples spend an average $33k compared to the U.S. average of $27k. That’s over $3.8 billing in annual wedding sales.

The counties included in the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA statistical area are:

Bergen, NJ

Essex, NJ

Hudson, NJ

Hunterdon, NJ

Middlesex, NJ

Monmouth, NJ

Morris… Continue reading

5 Things You Need To Know From The 2012 U.S. Wedding Market Insight Report

by Shane McMurray in Wedding

Last week we published the 2012 U.S. Wedding Market Insight Report which includes a quick look at how we see the 2012 wedding year. We think it will be a tough year for some businesses, but having said that here are 5 good things we’re predicting.

  • June and September are the most in demand months
  • More couples will attend Wedding/bridal show/events
  • Bright, Bold, or Vibrant tones are still in
  • Couples want fun, romantic, and simple events with a touch of formal and tradition
  • Rustic and vintage continue with high demand

You can pick up a copy of the report directly from our site (in PDF format):

http://www.theweddingreport.com/wmdb/index.cfm?action=reports.index&rpt=2012mireport

Or we’ve also published the report in Kindle format on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006T8V3YO

And in EPUB format on Lulu (soon to be on ibookstore):

http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/2012-us-wedding-market-insight-report/18801462 … Continue reading

2 Ways to Increase Your Conversion Rate Instantly

by Shane McMurray in Trend Talk

In a recent Trend Talk Discussion with couples (N=62) from our wedding panel, we asked them about their biggest frustrations when looking for wedding vendors and the importance of certain aspects of wedding vendor websites.

Interestingly enough, less than 15% of couples had no frustrations when looking for wedding vendors and “Finding reasonably priced vendors” topped the frustration list.

The two most important things couples want to see on wedding vendor websites;

  • Prices
  • Contact Information

In fact, 81% said having prices on the vendor website was “Very Important” to them with contact information falling in second place at 77%.


Putting Prices on Your Website

I… Continue reading

Trend Talk Discussion – Buying and Selling Used Items

by Jen Michalski, PhD in Trend Talk

In our current trend topic discussion we asked couples (N=66) if they would consider buying something for their wedding secondhand or used. 59 people or 89.4% said that yes they would, while 7, or 10.6% said that they would not consider buying something for their wedding secondhand or used. We then asked what reservations they had about buying wedding items secondhand or used with responses including the items’ condition and wear. Responses also included the desire for new items and that while buying something used or secondhand may save money, it would not even be an option. We then asked couples (N=59) what items they would consider buying secondhand or used, checking all that applied. Responses can be seen the chart below.

Items couples are willing to buy secondhand

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Introducing Bridal Monitor™ the First Bridal Registrations Tracking Service

by Shane McMurray in Wedding

I’m proud to introduce Bridal Monitor™ the first bridal registrations tracking service. Richard Babick, from Design Research, and I have spent the past year collaborating on what we believe to be the most comprehensive collection of US bridal registry research anywhere. Bridal Monitor reports include surveys of over 7000 brides of which 5300 registered or plan to register (as of 11/1/2011).

“This is where true brand awareness and loyalty begin. Brand investments at this stage of consumers’ lives can result in decade’s long returns in repeat purchase and brand loyalty.”

Get Reports from Bridal Monitor™

Bridal Registration Statistics from Bridal Monitor™

  • Brides who register have an average of 29% more guests at their wedding (143) versus those who do not register (111).
  • Brides
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Trend Talk Discussion – Hotel for Guests

by Jen Michalski, PhD in Trend Talk

In our current trend topic discussion we are asking couples (N=51) how many hotel(s) or resort(s) they did or will work with for their wedding guests. 23 (45.10%) said they would just work with one hotel/resort; 17 (33.3%) said they would work with 2 hotels/resorts; and 11 or (21.6%) said they would be working with 3 or more hotels/resorts.

We also asked couples (N=51) which of the following are/were important when choosing a hotel(s) or resort(s) for their wedding guests? (Couples were asked to check all that applied)

Finally, we asked couples what else they do consider, or did consider important when choosing a hotel or resort for their wedding guests, not listed in the previous question. Responses included wishing the hotel allowed… Continue reading

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