Wedding Market Info

[HotHolly]

Thought some of you might be interested in this info. Every year Davids Bridal conducts a bigg a$$ survey to test the waters of what current brides-to-be are doing with their money. These are your brides too. Thought you might want to see. It should affect your clients for the 2010-2011 weddings. Possibly some weddings later this year.

According to the annual "What's on Brides' Minds" survey, conducted by Infosurv, Inc. for David's Bridal -the (self-proclaimed) nation's foremost bridal authority- three-quarters (75%) of brides-to-be admit that they will have to make adjustments to their wedding budget as a result of the economic climate.

About one quarter plan to cut their budget in half and one in ten said their budget had dropped more than 75%. Over half (53%) of respondents do not plan to spend more than $25,000 on their big day, while a little over one third (34%) said they plan to spend $10,000 or less. As a sign of the times, aside from their wedding, paying off debts (77%) was noted as couples' top economic priority.

Holy crap. That's all I'm saying. Cutting a budget by 50%-75% is HUGE.

[tresorph]

As a bride myself for 2010... I'm seeing these convos all over the knot-type boards. I contemplated putting some responses on here for a voyeuristic-eye opener. But opted not to - since it was kinda of stepping over privacy boundaries, no? But it's all anonymous, so I dunno. Ya'll tell me if you wanna see 'em.

[toverman]

Maybe I need to build a package for couples who are planning to elope.

[LoungeLizard]

Originally Posted by tresorph

As a bride myself for 2010... I'm seeing these convos all over the knot-type boards. I contemplated putting some responses on here for a voyeuristic-eye opener. But opted not to - since it was kinda of stepping over privacy boundaries, no? But it's all anonymous, so I dunno. Ya'll tell me if you wanna see 'em.

It may be a violation of those board's copyright to copy posts somewhere else.

[tresorph]

yea, not sure about copyright issues. but I figured I wouldn't want my posts turning up somewhere else - so I didn't cross post them.

But back to what Todd suggested. That would be a great idea. But most brides-on-a-budget elope as part of thier honeymoon, not sure if they are willing to pay for your time and travel to a beach, if they are trying to cut back.

I'm sure some couples do this - but it was their intention all along to be married alone and wanted great photography along with it.

[toverman]

For those who do jet off and get married elsewhere, (one of my sisters-in-law did that) it's probably something photographers already in the location are taking advantage of.

When I lived and worked near the Okla-Texas border, there were a lot of people who would jump across to get married at the courthouse to avoid taking a blood test then required in Oklahoma. But those were people who didn't really have wedding budgets of any kind ... many saving up for wheels for their houses.

[MicWayWal]

Originally Posted by toverman

... many saving up for wheels for their houses.

Not that is funny!

I am just glad to be a photographer. I have got something to sell that will be enjoyed for years not one day.

[HutchPhoto]

I just seen a couple that just had their 75 wedding anniversary still enjoying their wedding photos still in their 90‘s.. So don’t let the bride fool you too much it truly is a lifetime investment on memories they will cherish as well as their grandkids….Even if its 75-125yrs later…



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[toverman]

Originally Posted by HutchPhoto

I just seen a couple that just had their 75 wedding anniversary still enjoying their wedding photos still in their 90‘s.. So don’t let the bride fool you too much it truly is a lifetime investment on memories they will cherish as well as their grandkids….Even if its 75-125yrs later….

I think wedding photos get more valuable over time, for sure. But how to convince the young ones that the images will be all they will really have over time? That it's more worthwhile to spend more on the photos than the extra keg? Many of the brides today won't even have their husbands over time tomorrow. This is a question that keeps getting asked.

[HutchPhoto]

Yes well I guess that is why they were on TV one in a million 75th anv.

So I guess the weddings of today are just something to do in the moment. So the brides are not willing to put their parents money were their mouth is. Sort Of..



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[Kym Kilcrease]

On the other hand, I was at Wal-Mart yesterday, and the Photo Lab Lady was asking me about Weddings. I shared with her the Price Packages and she stated that she had been contacted by someone that comes in the store to do her wedding. She is going to charge for 150.00 to shot the wedding. I told her she was crazy, that amount does not even cover the expenses of going out of the house to do a wedding, like contracts, insurance, etc. With everyone having a point and shoot camera, WILL WE SURVIVE!

[Tom]

I will be getting married in the not to far off future. We won't be spending near $10k. We both have full-time salaried jobs plus my freelance photography on the side (about to shoot Wedding #4 this year, as well as a number of other things.) I can't see us spending more than 10K in another year.

[HotHolly]

I think that people do treasure their wedding photos, but most dont know what they missed until its too late. This is a good time to formulate why someone should hire you over WalMart $150 Man. Its also a good time to examine what kinda promos you can run to get people to book you while all this stuff is going on. Formals Only wedding photography will be on the rise.

[toverman]

Originally Posted by HotHolly

Formals Only wedding photography will be on the rise.

I think you're right. I provided before/ceremony/formals for a couple last year ... the reception was going to be "covered" by single-use point-and-shoot cameras at each table.

[w9ctm]

All I can say is I was married 25 1/2 years the first time, and other than the pics of my sons growing up the only things I care about from that time are the pictures of our wedding. A dear friend of mine did them, and he did a wonderful job. Now, at 53 years old, I love to show my 2nd wife's kids what I looked like way back then in 1979. I also like to look at all my old friends that I now haven't seen in years.
I have one of my brothers that passed away in 1999 in many of the pictures, so I get to see him a lot. Of course, all the pictures with the ex seemed to have dissappeared........

Guess what I am getting at is the pictures are important. When I used to shoot wedding videos in Illinois, I had a bride that lost her brother the day after her wedding. (He was soooo drunk that he fell down the stairs getting ice at the hotel and broke his neck. He died the next day) Fortunately for her, she had lots of pictures (and video!) of her brother. And she and her new husband had already left on a midnight flight for Hawaii before he fell. So they at least got a little bit of a honeymoon.
I have other stories as well, but the point is that pictures are so very important to a couple 10 or 20 years later.

Chuck