The Wedding Report

When asked “what words best describe your wedding” the majority of couple say Romantic, Simple and Traditional. While these are the top 3 choices of couples we surveyed in 2011, over 70% of the market focuses on two words, Romantic and Simple. With a TURF Analysis, we were able to determine that by focusing on these 2 words you can connect with over 70% of the market. Simplify put, start using the words Romantic and Simple in your marketing message and you’ll make a better connection with potential customers.

Here are the words that describe the type of weddings couples are having.

Many times I’m asked what the top wedding locations or top wedding sites in the United States are and it really depends on how you measure top. Here is a list of the top 10 wedding locations (metropolitan areas) for 2011 by market value.

With the 2011 average wedding cost at $25,631 it’s no wonder everyone is contributing. Even though many expenses are shared by parents, relatives, and friends, it’s the couple contributing most often. This explains some of the changes we are seeing in the wedding industry. Changes like, less overall spending, less guests, more unique options, less tradition and formality. Today’s wedding couple is about romantic, simple and fun more than tradition and formality. Either way, it’s still expensive and everyone seems to be pitching in.

Who contributes to wedding cost 2010 & 2011.

Online spending for the wedding industry reached $8.6 billion (16.1% of $53.3 billion total spending) in 2011. Even though industry spending was down 4.1% in 2011, wedding online spending was up 43% over 2010 and wedding mobile spending was up 44% over 2010. Technology is making it easier for couples to pay online as growth was seen in both product and service categories.

Full report details available here: The Online Wedding Market 2011 Report

Products and services that saw the biggest online purchases were; Reception Decorations, Planner For Getting Started, Tuxedo/suit/other Rent/purchase, Reception Rentals, and Reception Food Service. Products and services that saw the biggest mobile purchases were; Flower Petals, Planner Full Service, Reception Menus, Other Transportation, and Planner Day of Coordinator. Online planning use decreased to 78% from… Continue reading

The average number of guests attending a 2011 wedding was 138. A single guest adds about $186 to the overall cost of a wedding. This is a 2% decrease from the 2010 average of 141.

The table and chart below shows the average number of guests from 2006 to 2011.

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

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.

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.

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

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