2013 Real Weddings Study Real Weddings...2013 Real Weddings Study 80% of couples say the economy did not affect their plans 18 *Base: Wedding planning affected by economy For those

2013 Real Weddings Study 2013 Real Weddings Study

2013 Real Weddings Study

the largest bridal study ever!

• Brides on The Knot Wedding Network

…nearly 80% of US brides

• Married January 1 – December 31, 2013

• Respondents represent a variety of

ethnic, education, and income levels

across the U.S.

• Data covers over 80 markets

More than 12,600 US

brides surveyed!

2013 Real Weddings Study 3

9%

15%

7%

9%

14%

5%

20%

15%

7% Respondent’s Geographic Residence

distributed across the US

Source: TKWN 2013 Bridal Fashion Study


who is she?

• She’s 29 and he’s 31 (average age)

─ 79% are 25 or older

• Educated: 77% college-grad (4-yr)

• Graduate degree: 27%

• Employed full-time: Over 3-in-4 (76%)

─ 84% of grooms employed full-time

• Household Income:

─ Median HHI: $67,050

─ Average HHI: $89,368

• All wedding spend levels…

• Under $10,000 (24%)

• $10K to $60K (71%)

• $60,000+ (5%)

4


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Note: could select up to 3 choices


wedding basics


the average engagement is 14 months • December is the most popular month: 16%

Month 2013 2012

December 16% 16%

May 9% 8%

February 8% 9%

July 8% 9%

August 8% 8%

June 8% 7%

November 8% 8%

April 7% 8%

March 7% 7%

October 7% 8%

September 7% 7%

January 6% 6%

Winter 30%

Summer 24%

Spring 23%

Fall 22%



nearly 2 in 3 (64%) weddings are semi-formal


Semi-formal 64%

Formal/Black tie 17%

Casual 17%

Other 2%

• Weddings continue to become more

casual up from 12% in 2009 to 17%

• Formal continues to decline from 20%

in 2009 to 17%


• 75% of all weddings take place between May to October

• June and September are the most popular months (15%)

9

summer and fall weddings dominate

Summer 35%

Fall 32%

Spring 26%

Winter 7%



7 in 1o weddings occur on Saturday

Sunday 12%

Monday- Thursday

5%

Friday 13%

Saturday 70%



a wedding doesn’t happen in a day • Nearly half (47%) are 3 days or more

• Bridal showers are the norm (83%)

• Over 3 in 4 have a bachelor (76%) and/or bachelorette (77%) party

• Rehearsal dinners are a must (86%) with over half (57%) held at a restaurant*

• 37% have a brunch the next morning with an average spend

of $457

– Almost 4 in 10 (36%) have it at

a home*

– 36% have it at a hotel/resort

• 28% have an engagement party

• 30% have an “After Party”

11

The average

rehearsal dinner

spend is $1,184*

*Base: Had rehearsal dinner; had brunch 2013 Real Weddings Study


virtually all (94%) have a bridal party

• Wedding parties average 4.5

bridesmaids and 4.4

groomsmen

• Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) have

children in the wedding party

– Almost 6-in-10 (58%) have a

flower girl

– About half (48%) have a

ring bearer



economy & spend


spending is the highest since 2008

14

Total Wedding Spend

(Average) 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008

Total cost of wedding

(Not including honeymoon

or engagement ring)

$24,260 $22,996 $21,891 $21,592 $22,538 $23,730



$22,923

$25,169

$17,893

$18,371

$21,374

$16,217

$23,086

$34,813

$30,129 Respondent’s Wedding Location

cost by region varies

*Excluding engagement ring and honeymoon

*Note: Average wedding spend by region where wedding took place


over 4 in 10 (43%) went over-budget

Over budget 43%

On target 27%

Didn't have a budget

24%

Under budget

7%



many contribute to the wedding costs

Average Contribution to Wedding Budget

Only 13% of couples

pay for the

wedding themselves

Bride's Parents

44%

Groom's Parents

12%

The Bride and Groom

42%

Other 2%



80% of couples say the economy did not affect their plans

18

For those affected: % TOTAL

We scaled back on some of the services and 'extras' 76%

We did more planning and execution ourselves 71%

We shopped around and negotiated prices much more than

we would have normally 54%

We invited fewer guests than we originally planned 43%

We took a less expensive honeymoon 28%

We had our wedding on a non-Saturday date 25%

We decided not to take a honeymoon 22%

*Base: Wedding planning affected by economy 2013 Real Weddings Study


the average number of guests is 138

# of Guests 2013 2012

0-50 11% 11%

51-100 25% 25%

101-150 31% 30%

151-200 19% 19%

201-250 8% 8%

251-300 3% 4%

300+ 2% 2%

19 *Base: Wedding planning affected by economy

The average number of guests has

declined from a high of 153

in 2007

The total cost of wedding per guest is $220…

up from $194 in 2009


Respondent’s Wedding Location 124

141

118

154

161

152

179

124

124

average wedding size varies by region


most brides depend on professionals

21

Services Hired for Wedding Total

Hired/Used

Hired

Professional

Hired/Used

Family/Friend

(not a pro)

Photographer 98% 85% 14%

Reception venue 92% 85% 7%

Ceremony Officiant 92% 57% 35%

Florist 85% 71% 14%

Cake baker 85% 69% 16%

Ceremony Site 84% 76% 8%

DJ 75% 64% 11%

Ceremony Musician 61% 40% 21%

Transportation/ limos 46% 40% 6%

Videographer 42% 27% 15%

Event/Wedding Planner 34% 23% 11%

Reception Band 20% 16% 3%

Average # Services Used 8.1 6.5 1.6

Note: Ranked by “Total Hired” 2013 Real Weddings Study

2013 Real Weddings Study 22 Base: Hired a Professional for [Category] -- Average spend figures are for Professional Services Only

Used Professional

Vendor/Service

(Average Cost)

2013 2012

Change:

2012 vs.

2013

2011

Change:

2011 vs.

2012

Reception Venue $13,385 $12,905 $12,116

Reception Band $3,469 $3,084 $3,122

Photographer $2,440 $2,379 $2,299

Florist $2,069 $1,997 $1,894

Event/Wedding Planner $1,874 $1,847 $1,753

Ceremony Site $1,793 $1,711 $1,599

Videographer $1,700 $1,619 $1,486

DJ $1,038 $988 $929

Transportation/Limo $732 $708 $669

Ceremony Musician $588 $554 $536

Cake Baker $546 $560 $535

Ceremony Officiant $260 $246 $238

spending on professionals is on the rise



Other Wedding Items Purchased

Total

Purchased/

DIY

Purchased/

Professionally

Made

DIY

Invitations 98% 66% 32%

Reception table centerpieces/Décor 96% 47% 49%

Attendant Gifts for Bridesmaids 88% 74% 15%

Ceremony décor 87% 38% 49%

Favors 82% 37% 45%

Attendant Gifts for Groomsmen 82% 74% 9%

Save-the-dates 72% 46% 26%

Ceremony programs 65% 19% 46%

Escort cards/Place cards 60% 15% 45%

Menu cards 27% 12% 15%

DIY for 1 or more items 87%

and there’s more details to decide on…

23

DIY items are most often centerpieces,

ceremony décor, programs, cards

and favors • Almost 9 in 10 brides (87%) do some sort of DIY item

• Average # of DIY Items: 3.3



top trends

top trends


brides continue to change • She’s 29 (average)…up from

28 years old in 2008

• 36% of brides are 30+ versus

29% in 2008

• The groom is an average of 31.2

years old…only slight older than

2008 (30)

• She’s educated: 77% are college

graduates versus 68% in 2008

• Almost 3-in-4 (74%) lived together

before marriage versus 70%

in 2009 – Of this group, 48% lived together for

2 years or more before the wedding

(up from 39% in 2009)

• 80% of brides take their spouse’s last

name down from 86% in 2009

25 2013 Real Weddings Study


over 7 in 10 (73%) have at least one signature wedding element

26

2013 2012

Custom guest entertainment

(photo booth, comedian, etc.) 30% 27%

Wedding logo/monogram 26% 26%

Theme 23% 24%

Ethnic elements/traditions 22% 21%

Signature cocktail at reception 20% 18%

Wedding items/decor that are eco-

friendly 11% 12%

*Base: Wedding planning affected by economy

Custom entertainment has more than doubled since

2009 and is now the #1 signature

element



color trends continue to shift

• Blue continues to gain popularity – 35% versus 27% in 2009 – Dark blue has doubled to 22% in popularity over the last 6 years

• Purple is still popular… especially dark purple. 20% selected it in 2013,

compared with only 8% in 2008.

• Grey is increasing in popularity at 15%, growing from 11% last year, and 7%

in 2011

• Brown continues to decrease in popularity – 6% compared with 21% in 2008

• Ivory is slowly regaining popularity (up from 26% in 2008 to 31% in 2013)



there are a variety of color palettes

Ivory/White 46% Light/Dark Blue 35%

31% 18% 16% 22% 16% 7%

Light/Dark Green 21%

Metallic (Gold, Silver, Bronze) 25%

16% 10%

1%

Light/Dark Pink 25% Light/Dark Purple 26%

17% 10% 20% 10%

Red/Burgundy 14%

9% 5%

Brown/Beige 9%

6% 4% 13% 15% 13% 13%


destination weddings are still popular

• For the fourth straight year 24% of couples had/have a

destination wedding (up from 20% in 2008)

− That’s more than 400,000 destination weddings a year!

− 55% take place in the continental U.S.* (excluding Hawaii and Alaska)

− Florida (22% up from 18% in 2012)

− California (16% up from 13% in 2012)

− Nevada (9% no shift)

− North Carolina (6% up from 5% in 2012)

− 45% are international destinations *

− Caribbean (41% up from 39% in 2012)

− Mexico/Baja (21% down from 24% in 2012)

− Hawaii (16% down from 20%)

− Europe (12% up from 6% in 2012)

29 *The Knot Market Intelligence – Romance Travel Study 2013 2013 Real Weddings Study


planning a real wedding


here’s how it begins…

• Average engagement length:

14.1 months − 16% of brides began planning their

wedding before they were engaged!

• Planning time frame (average):

11 months

• Almost all grooms are involved

(95%) and almost 4 in 10 (38%)

are very involved

• 72% of couples used save-the-

dates compared to 57% in 2009

• 46% had professionally made

save-the-dates vs. 29% in 2009



weekly hours spent planning increase as the wedding day nears

3.5

hours

4.9

hours

7.3 hours

11.0

hours

10-12 months 7-9 months 4-6 months 0-3 months

Average hours a week spent wedding planning

Average is 6.7 hours

per week!



brides spend a lot of time researching…

Base: Used [service]; average months before wedding began researching

Band 8.0

DJ 7.6

Photographer 8.6

Event planner 8.2

months 9 8 7 6 5

Florist 7.2

Videographer 7.1

Reception

Venue

9.6

Cake Baker

6.7

Ceremony

Musician 6.4

Transportation/

Limos 5.3

Gown 9.1



…and purchase months in advance

Base: Used [service]; average months before wedding began researching

Band 7.0

DJ 6.7

Gown 8.0

Photographer 7.7

Event planner 7.5

months 9 8 7 6 5

Florist 6.1

Videographer 6.1

Reception

Venue

8.9

Cake Baker

5.5

Ceremony

Musician 5.3

Transportation/

Limos 4.2



the dress comes first

• Final decision is made about 8 months

before the wedding

• Average spend on the gown: $1,281

• Nearly half (49%) spend $1,000+

• 36% spend $1,500+

• Veil, shoes & lingerie: $274 on average



1/3 hold the ceremony in a religious institution

36

While 33% opted to hold their

ceremony in a religious

institution, that has dropped from

41% in 2009

Indoors or Outdoors

Indoors 52%

Outdoors 46%

Both 2%

0%

2%

3%

3%

3%

3%

4%

5%

6%

6%

8%

8%

10%

12%

33%

Legal Institution

Museum/Gallery

Family/Friend's Home

Public Garden

Winery/Vineyard

Restaurant

Park

Farm

Beach

Country Club

Backyard/Private Garden

Banquet Hall

Hotel/Resort

Historical Building/Home

Religious Institution


• Historical Building/Home is up from 9% in 2009 and Farm is up from 2% in 2009


22% hold the reception in a banquet hall

37

Indoors or Outdoors

Indoors 62%

Outdoors 16%

Both 22%

2%

3%

3%

3%

3%

4%

4%

6%

7%

7%

11%

16%

16%

22%

Public Garden

Museum/Gallery

Winery/Vineyard

Park

Beach

Family/Friend's Home

Religious Institution

Farm

Restaurant

Backyard/Private Garden

Country Club

Hotel/Resort

Historical Building/Home

Banquet Hall



the venue is the most expensive decision

• 85% booked a professional reception venue

• Typically over half of the wedding event budget: average cost of $13,385*

• Top reasons for selecting a venue: − Scenic backdrop/locale: 46%

− Unique or non-traditional: 28%

− Both indoor and outdoor space: 27%

− Willingness to work within budget: 25%

− Close to home and/or family: 25%

− Great space for dancing: 20%

− Room for lots of guests 20%

38 Note: Average costs are based on professional services only *Includes food/drinks, bar service, site fees and /or rentals

Almost 31% spent

$15,000+ on the venue



catering is usually handled by the venue

• For 3 out of 5 (59%), catering is part of the reception venue package

• For those who had catering:

(included in package or hired independently)

− $66 per person (average price)

− 19% spend more than $100

39

Had at Reception*

Cocktail Hour 73%

Standard Buffet 50%

Full-Service Meal 45%

Food Favors 36%

Interactive Food Station (ex: sushi chef) 15%

*Base: Hired/Used Reception Venue 2013 Real Weddings Study


the right photographer is of primary importance

• 85% hire a pro: − Spend $2,440* on average

− 40% spend $2,500* or more

• Here’s what they get:** − 95% received all their wedding photos in a digital format

− 60% had access to online proofs

− 34% received a complete album of wedding photos

− 23% ordered a set number of prints as part of a package

• How do they preserve their memories?** − 70% plan to create printed photo books

− 60% plan to purchase prints from an online service

− 57% plan to create photo albums

− 33% plan to create digital album(s) on a photo sharing website

(not Facebook)

− 15% plan to purchase prints from brick-and-mortar retailer

40 *Based on professional services only; Fees include packages and albums **Base: Hired/Used a photographer 2013 Real Weddings Study


videographers are not as commonly used

• Over 4 in 10 (42%) have video taken of the wedding

– 27% hire a professional videographer with an average spend of $1,700*

– 15% use family or friends instead of a pro

41 *Base: Hired professional videographer 2013 Real Weddings Study


the planner makes sure it all happens

• 23% hire a professional wedding planner

• 11% use a family member/friend

• A “flat fee” is most common (58%)

• Almost 4 in 10 (38%) opt for full service wedding planning

• Over half (53%) used for “day-of” coordination only

• Average spend is $1,874

• 22% spend over $2,000

42 Note: Average costs and category detail are based on professional services only 2013 Real Weddings Study


ceremonies are musical…

• 40% hire professional musicians

for the ceremony at an average

cost of $588

43 Note: Average costs are based on professional services only *Base: Hired/Used Ceremony Musicians

Musicians Hired/Used for Ceremony

2013 2012

Pianist/Organist 36% 38%

Vocalist(s) 30% 30%

DJ 30% 27%

Strings 23% 22%

Guitar 19% 19%

Multi-piece Band 6% 7%

Harpist 4% 4%

Brass 3% 4%

Woodwind 3% 4%

Bagpipes 1% 2%

Other 8% 7%



and so are the receptions… • 74% hire professional reception music services

– 64% of couples hire a professional DJ at an

average cost of $1,038

– 16% of couples hire a professional band at an

average cost of $3,469

44 Note: Average costs are based on professional services only *Base: Hired/Used Reception Musicians 2013 Real Weddings Study


dance to the music!

45

Top 10 “1st Dance” Songs

1) I Won’t Give Up – Jason Mraz

2) At Last – Etta James

3) A Thousand Years – Christina Perri

4) Wanted – Hunter Hayes

5) You & Me – Lifehouse

6) You Are The Best Thing – Ray LaMontagne

7) Then – Brad Paisley

8) God Gave Me You – Blake Shelton

9) Lucky – Jason Mraz

10) Hey Pretty Girl – Kip Moore


of course, the flowers must be perfect!

• 71% hired a professional florist

• For these couples:

− 96% had the florist provide bouquets

− 90% corsages and/or boutonnieres

− 67% table centerpieces

− 61% ceremony décor

− 49% had additional reception décor

• Average spend: $2,069

46 Note: Average costs and category detail are based on professional services only 2013 Real Weddings Study


let them eat cake! • 69% hire a professional cake baker

─ 40% hire custom cake designers

─ 39% hired a non-specialty bakery

• Average cost: $546

47

Types of Dessert Served*

2013 2012

Traditional Tiered Wedding Cake 64% 64%

Cupcakes/Cupcake Cake 22% 20%

Different Type of Cake 20% 19%

Groom’s Cake 16% 18%

Baked Goods (pies, cookies, etc.) 24% 22%

Chocolate Desserts (fountain,

truffles, etc.) 14% 14%

Candy 13% 14%

Fruit 13% 15%

Ice Cream/Sorbet/Frozen Yogurt 9% 8%

Cake

Desserts

Non-Cake

Desserts

Note: Average costs and category detail based on professional services only *Base: All Couples 2013 Real Weddings Study


two for the road

• 40% hire a professional

transportation service for the

couple and/or bridal party

• Average cost: $732

48

Type of Transportation Hired/Used *

2013 2012

Shuttle/Bus 31% 27%

Our own/friend or family

member’s car 19% 19%

Stretch Limousine 17% 19%

Town Car/Standard Limousine 16% 14%

Stretch SUV or Hummer 14% 15%

Vintage Car/Specialty Car 8% 7%

Trolley 6% 7%

Horse & Carriage 1% 2%

Note: Average costs are based on professional services only *Base: Hired/Used Transportation 2013 Real Weddings Study


engaging today’s bride


brides rely on the

internet at every step…

50


brides “multi-source”…

51

Wedding Planning Sources

2013 2012

Internet 98% 98%

Friends/Family 84% 84%

Bridal Magazines 66% 72%

Bridal Events/Shows 43% 43%

Books 22% 25%

Wedding Planner 19% 19%

Bridal Vendor 18% 17%

Television 16% 18%

Newspapers 3% 3%

Radio 1% 1%



…but the internet is #1

52 Base: Used [source] during wedding planning * Top 2 Box of 5-point Agreement Scale

86% strongly agree

that the Internet played a BIG role in their

wedding planning

8%

11%

11%

14%

18%

17%

26%

49%

60%

76%

9%

6%

20%

24%

23%

27%

32%

29%

21%

18%

Newspapers

Radio

Television

Bridal Magazines

Bridal events/shows

Books

Bridal vendor

Friends/family

Wedding Planner

Internet

Very Valuable Somewhat Valuable


94%

81%

78%

58%

44%

41%

38%

31%

17%

17%


the web has multiple uses

53 Base: Used internet in wedding planning

Online Activities During

Wedding Planning 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009

Create a personal wedding web page 70% 68% 69% 65% 60%

Research vendor listings 66% 63% 63% 64% 63%

Use online wedding planning tools 64% 63% 63% N/A N/A

Use a social network to communicate

information about your wedding 44% 45% 45% 41% 32%

Create and send save-the-

dates/invitations online 31% 28% 26% 21% 19%

Use an online RSVP service 22% 19% 18% 17% 14%

Use a wedding message board or

community forum 17% 18% 19% 20% 17%

• Save-the-dates, online RSVP services, and the creation of personal

wedding pages continue to rise in popularity



she is a mobile bride…

• 92% own a smartphone…

up from 85% in 2012 and 74% in 2011

– iPhone: 62%, up from 50% in 2012 and 31% in 2011

– Android: 30%, up from 27% in 2011

– Blackberry: 2%, down from 6% in 2012 and 14% in 2011

• 55% own a tablet…

– iPad: 39%, up from 29% in 2012, and 16% in 2011

– Kindle Fire: 10%, up from 7% in 2012

– Nook Tablet: 4%, up from 3% in 2012

– Android Tablet: 6%, up from 2% in 2012

– Other Tablet: 2%

54 Base: Own/Use smartphone


…and a mobile multi-tasker

• Top wedding-related tasks done on Smartphone

− 69% take/save wedding-related pictures

− 67% share wedding-related pictures with family/friends

− 56% look up and/or manage wedding vendor(s) contact info

− 48% access wedding planning sites

− 48% access/manage their registry

− 41% research wedding gowns

− 35% research wedding vendors

− 21% comparison shop in-store

55 Base: Own/Use smartphone 2013 Real Weddings Study


social media is hot

• 95% are on Facebook, with almost

2/3’s (63%) on a few times a day

• 89% use Pinterest, with 31%

signing on at least a few times

each week

• 33% use Twitter

56

2013 Real Weddings Study 2013 Real Weddings Study

Documents

2013 Real Weddings Study Real Weddings...2013 Real Weddings Study 80% of couples say the economy did not affect their plans 18 *Base: Wedding planning affected by economy For those