Club Wedd and Other Trappings of Recession Wedding Ideas

Club Wedd is no longer considered the stepchild of the wedding registries, and recession wedding ideas - following the "I Used to Think a Wedding Was a Simple Affair" Steve Martin school of thought - are now gaining momentum. Will this cause the wedding industry to go belly up?

Before "I Used to Think a Wedding Was a Simple Affair" Made Recession Wedding Ideas Popular

When Lady Diana Spencer agreed to wed the Prince of Wales, he gifted her with a ring worth - at today's exchange rate - about $43,800. Princess Diana's wedding gown would have been worth about $13,140. Obviously this kind of spending is in keeping with the wedding ideas of royalty, but for a while fairy tale weddings were in and more cost reducing means of keeping it simple were out.

As "I Used to Think a Wedding Was a Simple Affair" Began to Make Recession Wedding Ideas Palatable

The news began to take its toll on the wedding industry and MSNBC reported in 2008 that the average wedding then had a price tag of about $29,000; unfortunately for the industry, couples had begun moving away from the idea of the fairy tale wedding. Instead, the focus was shifting toward spending less money on a dress, ceremony and party, and more toward the down payment for real estate or furnishing a home.

"I Used to Think a Wedding Was a Simple Affair" Spearheads Recession Wedding Ideas

The Daily Gleaner reports this year that the recession wedding ideas have finally hit engaged couples and the wedding industry is beginning to flounder a bit. Quoting one wedding outfit in Hawaii - ground zero for fairy tale weddings in the minds of many - it soon becomes obvious that business is down by half, and only diversification into other celebrations can keep the wedding industry afloat. Not many outfits are prepared for the change.

This would account for the recession wedding ideas that are currently in high demand, ensuring that wedding registries, such as Target's Club Wedd, are more popular than ever, and a larger number of brides are now making their own engagement announcements or bridal shower invites.

The Wedding Report suggests that 50% make bridal shower invitations versus buying them, while 38% make their own save-the-date cards, and 31% prepare homemade engagement announcements. This goes hand in hand with the DIY Bride report that urges brides to be more hands-on and do things themselves rather than spending money that could be better applied elsewhere.

This then begs the question what will happen to the many mom and pop businesses involved in the wedding industry, and those venues that have ancillary businesses - such as the tourist trade and street vendors - that rely on wedding parties for a good portion of their budget.

Sources
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/diana/stories/glamor0901.htm; http://www.princess-diana.com/diana/marriage.htm; http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25589644/; http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/liveit/article/592700; http://www.theweddingreport.com/wmdb/index.cfm?action=reports.viewreport&id=E84DB936-3048-6387-A22D5AA1DBEB2B59; http://www.diybride.com/2008/03/11/how-to-recession-proof-your-wedding/