Watch Your Spending

An updated analysis of changes in wedding spending from 2007 to 2008 was released by The Wedding Report (an organization that analyzes/publishes statistics and market research for the wedding industry). The average cost of a wedding actually fell 24% in 2008; this along with other areas of spending that saw declines were very interesting:

Wedding dress: -31%
Rehearsal dinner: -34%
Spending for a DJ: -6%
Bridesmaid bouquets: -36%
Gifts for attendants: -38%
Wedding invitations: -34%
Engagement ring: -30%
Photographer: -26%
Videographer: -24%
Wedding cake: -33%
Wedding favors: -9%
Reception food service: -53%
Limo rental: -24%

On the flip side, there were areas identified to have experienced increases. It seems that brides and grooms chose to spend more on things that really count like their wedding bands, the ceremony and the reception. Plus, many couples are opting to have both the ceremony and reception at the same location, which can save a lot of $$$.

Tuxedo/suit: +47%
Ceremony location: +108%
Bride bouquet: +1%
Brides wedding band: +21%
Grooms wedding band: +38%
Reception bar service: +12%
Reception location: +15%
Reception rentals: +84%

The struggles of our current economy are influencing wedding spending across the board. It'll be interesting to see what 2009 turns out.

Comments

Anonymous said…

Thanks Rashana for the statistics besides it's really great to keep a check on the collectibles.Wish you all the best and the couples indeed.

Cheers!!
Send online gifts to Chennai | Send online gifts to Bangalore

February 27, 2009 at 1:32 AM

Anonymous said…

This is very interesting ... Thank you for these numbers ~ 2009 will be an interesting year...

February 27, 2009 at 10:53 AM

Anonymous said…

i've also looking forward to how 2009 will turn out!

March 2, 2009 at 1:57 PM

Simply Perfect Weddings said…

Great post...very informative! Thanks for the statistics! Your blog is on my daily read list! :)

March 12, 2009 at 8:54 PM

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