The play on the headline should read A Lot More Cautiously, as a drop in spending affects superfluous and superficial items shown in the latest data collected by the Wedding Industry Survey Network. While analyzing the collected data a new trend of brides spending wisely begins to emerge.
Conclusively spending decreased this season for items with the words “accessory”, “decoration” or “tip” attached to them, as did spending for personal, non-essential items like teeth whitening, weight loss, facials, hair removal; even make up was cut.
Dollars were redirected to items like the dress and preservation, the bride’s bouquet, table center pieces and gifts for friends & family members, felt to be more core items to wedding planning. Discussions with caterers and wedding vendor experts find the information inline with current findings saying couples are willing to spend a little bit more but expect a lot more for their dollar.
“That’s true, here on Long Island; brides are shopping more and demand the best flowers for their arrangements but are ready to haggle because they shopped, educated themselves and want the more reputable vendor to do their wedding. But at the end of the day, we still have to make a profit—enough of a profit—to keep our interest and ability to keep our standards. That’s what makes us the best at what we do,” according to John Frana, owner of Little Flower Shop in New York.
Frana and other countless vendors we’re speaking with say a new standard is being formulated that melds pricing and reputability, equaling value for dollars spent. “It’s always been you get what you pay for but the days of not paying for what you get are also coming to an end, that’s what I think the data is showing,” according to Christine Boulton of Think Like A Bride. Boulton is an ex-vendor herself, specializing in wedding cakes and tells unflattering stories of both brides and vendors. Boulton’s approach of calling it like it is has become her trademark, gaining her increasing notoriety in the wedding business.
Incidentally, the cost of a Wedding Cake has risen to $384, a change of 9.1% from 2009 http://goo.gl/bX33
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2010
Posted on 07/15/2010
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