We are pleased to share some updated statistics on the current state of affairs in the world of weddings. The Wedding Secret connects brides to wedding specialists in their area and their infographic is a great way to get an understanding of the wedding industry in the UK.
Archive for the ‘Wedding Statistics’ Category
Weddings in England
Friday, November 1st, 2013Wedding Guest Survey Results
Wednesday, September 18th, 2013Thinking of borrowing to finance your wedding? Read this first!
Thursday, September 5th, 2013They say diamonds are forever - and these days, thanks to digital cameras, so are wedding albums! Once upon a time, those precious photos used to fade as the years went by, but digital photos stay as crisp as the day they were taken.
But there’s one reminder of your big day you don’t want to take with you when you start married life together: debt.
At Debt Advisory Centre, we help people from all walks of life. We know there’s no single cause of debt problems, which is why we decided to look into the impact of ‘wedding debt’. We asked over 2,200 people whether they’d borrowed for their big day, and how it had worked out.
We learned a lot from our research. A full 17% of the married people we asked said they’d borrowed money to pay for their big day. 1 in 3 of those people said they were still paying it back, long after the confetti had settled. 1 in 2 said they regretted borrowing so much - or at all.
Which is not to say no-one should ever borrow for a big event like a wedding. In the right situation, it can help - but it’s very important you ‘do the maths’ before you go ahead and do it.
A few tips you might want to take on board if you’re thinking about borrowing…
1) Figure out the best way of borrowing. Different kinds of credit come with different pros and cons, so take the time to find out which one looks like the right one for you.
2) Figure out how much you can afford to repay per month, without putting your monthly finances under too much strain. Don’t forget: your finances are almost certain to change if you’re moving in together. So try to understand where you’ll stand financially after the wedding.
3) Don’t pay it back too slowly. A lengthy repayment term will cut the size of each monthly payment, but it’ll mean you pay more interest in the long run. Plus, if you’re planning on buying a house and / or starting a family, you won’t want to put your plans on hold for years until your wedding debt stops taking a chunk out of your monthly finances.
If you’re struggling with debts, wherever they’ve come from, talking to an expert can really help - you might find there’s a better way of repaying the money you’ve borrowed.
Survey of Brides to Be
Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013
Top Ten Wedding Faux Pas
Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013Upstaging the bride at her wedding has been voted the nation’s top matrimonial faux pas – according to new research.
The poll, by discount shopping website NetVoucherCodes.co.uk, gave respondents a list of ten wedding day no no’s and asked them to pick the one they thought was the most inappropriate.
Wearing an outfit which outshone the bride came top of the poll with 19%; however, this was closely followed by someone’s mobile phone going off during the ceremony on 18%.
For 14% of respondents, forgetting to buy a wedding present was the top gaffe, but for more than one in seven (13%) arriving late was the principle faux pas.
Drinking too much bubbly and getting drunk at the reception polled top for more than one in ten (11%) respondents bringing it in at fifth place.
In sixth came spoiling the bridal gown by either spilling food or drink on it or by treading on the train which scored nine per cent of the vote.
Seventh and eighth place were occupied by parents letting their children misbehave and laughing at the wedding vows which scored seven and five per cent respectively.
In ninth place was having a family spat at the reception, voted for by three per cent of respondents and in tenth place with one per cent came pushing people out of the way to catch the bridal bouquet.
One respondent commented: “Granted you mustn’t go to a wedding in a full gown and tiara but I can’t see any reason why you shouldn’t wear white. If anything it would be more appropriate to dress in white than it would be to go in black – what would that say about your thoughts on the marriage?”
Another person who took part in the survey said: “There is always one person who ends up getting drunk at the reception afterwards; you just have to hope it is not the best man before he does his speech. I’ve seen that happen before and what you end up with is a furious bride, a very embarrassed groom and a cringing audience.”
A spokesperson from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk commented: “Some brides spend years planning their perfect wedding, so it’s no wonder respondents thought upstaging her was the top no-no. Mobile phones ringing during the ceremony was another big no for respondents. After all, who wants to hear a dreadful ringtone just as the happy couple are about to exchange their vows? I’d be furious if it happened to me. Everyone wants to remember a wedding for the right reasons, not the wrong, so if you’re attending one this summer, our top tip is don’t upstage the bride and be on your very best behaviour.”
Bride Survey Results
Friday, June 7th, 2013A recent survey of 250 brides conducted by Phase Eight shows that 2013 is going to be a very busy year for a lot of brides with 44% of you exchanging wedding vows this year, and 46% of you in 2014. A smaller proportion of brides like to take their time when it comes to planning the big day with 7.5% preparing to wed in 2015 and 2% enjoying an extended engagement and waiting until after 2016.
The weather is always a factor for a UK wedding, and spring and summer remain the most popular seasons as there are more opportunities for beautiful outdooor wedding photographs
Summer wedding – 42%
Beach honeymoon - 56%
Countryside honeymoon – 14%
Adventure honeymoon – 12%
Safari honeymoon – 10%
City honeymoon – 10%
There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to planning your dream wedding and one of the most important tasks is finding your dream wedding dress. 48% of you plan to try on 4-10 wedding dresses while 8% are taking no chances when it comes to finding ‘the one’ by trying on more than 20 wedding gowns!
44% of brides will be taking advice from their mum and a further 25% will have their best friend with them.
1 to 3 wedding dresses – 22%
4 to 10 wedding dresses – 48%
11 to 20 wedding dresses – 22%
More than 20 wedding dresses – 8%
Another big decision Brides-to-be face is where to hold their wedding celebrations. Demand is often very high for popular wedding venues and therefore decisions need to be made far in advance. The majority of brides surveyed (64%) plan to check out 2-5 wedding venues before committing to one whereas 20% of couples have your heart set on just one venue and don’t feel the need to look elsewhere. 8% are slightly fussier, looking at over 10 venues before deciding.
The number of wedding guests to invite can be tricky, especially if one person comes from a much larger family. The majority (63%) of you would like to see 50-150 familiar faces at your wedding while 7% would like to keep their special day small and intimate with just 1-20 wedding guests. Over 250 people is just too many according to you ladies, while 11% of you are willing to stretch to a 150-250 guest list.
We also wanted to know where you drew inspiration from for your big day. It turns out Mr Darcy still pulls on your heartstrings with 30% of you voting Pride and Prejudice as your favourite love story, closely followed by the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet.
Pride and Prejudice – 30%
Romeo and Juliet – 27%
Cinderella – 19%
Titanic – 13%
When Harry met Sally – 10%
When it comes to your first dance with your new husband, you love a bit of Adele, with ‘Make you feel my love’ hitting the top spot. The old classics do remain popular choices though with Barry White’s ‘You’re the first, the last, my everything’ coming in a close second place.
Adele - Make you feel my love – 27%
Barry White – You’re the first, the last, my everything – 21%
Percy Sledge – When a man loves a woman – 16%
Michael Buble – Everything – 16%
The Bangles – Eternal Flame – 13%
Celine Dion – The power of love – 4%
Westlife – I do – 3%
Wedding Survey Results
Monday, April 22nd, 2013Thanks to everyone who filled in the Phase Eight wedding guest questionnaire – just under 400 of you completed it and here we can share the results:
77% of you are attending a wedding this year.
The majority (45%) of weddings are happening June to August, with March to May being the next most popular time (31%). 19% of weddings are happening September to October, with only 5% winter weddings November to December.
We know you love to dress up, and this shows in how much you will spend on your wedding guest outfit:
4% will spend less than £50 on an outfit
26% will spend £50 - £100
56% will spend £100-£200
11% will spend £200 - £300
3% will spend over £300
When it comes to shopping for a new wedding outfit, it turns out Gok Wan is a girl’s best friend with 35% choosing him over your best friend or your mum! As for Mary Portas, maybe she can go for a coffee with Trinny & Susannah while you shop?
Gok Wan - 35%
Your best friend - 28%
Your mum - 14%
Sarah Jessica Parker - 12%
Trinny & Susannah - 6%
Mary Portas - 5%
When it comes to the question of whether you wear a wedding hat or a fascinator, 45% of you vote fascinator (is this the Duchess of Cambridge effect, we wonder?), 18% still love an occasion hat, and 14% choose a different type of hair accessory completely. 23% of you prefer to wear nothing in your hair at all.
In terms of how many outfits you’ll be wearing over the wedding celebrations, 60% of you will have one outfit, 33% of you wear two different outfits, and 7% of you will have three or more.
We asked you what your idea was for a fun hen do – and the results show that you love a bit of pampering, closely followed by a good boogie:
A spa weekend - 40%
Drinks and dancing - 21%
A cocktail class - 14%
Afternoon tea - 13%
Dinner and a theatre show - 12%
When it comes to wedding gifts, you’re a very generous lot, which means there are a lot of very lucky bride and grooms out there:
Under £50 – 29%
£50 - £100 – 52%
£100 - £200 – 17%
Over £200 – 2%
It’s not just wedding presents and new outfits you’re splashing out on, however, with 60% of you expecting to spend over £100 on transport and accommodation for a wedding.
And then we asked you who your dream wedding ‘plus one’ was. And ladies, we have to say you have impeccable taste. Let’s just hope that Brad, Tom and John Hamm/Don Draper don’t feel too put out about it (maybe we can send them a piece of wedding cake?):
George Clooney – 27%
Gerard Butler – 23%
James Bond – 21%
Ryan Gosling – 16%
Brad Pitt – 8%
Tom Cruise – 3%
Don Draper – 2%
We also asked – if money was no object, where would you love to attend a wedding? Maybe it’s no surprise after the weather we’ve had recently that you chose somewhere tropical, warm and a long way away from here! Your dream destination wedding choices are:
Caribbean– 37%
Florence– 33%
English countryside – 17%
Las Vegas– 8%
Paris– 5%
