A PLANNERS LIFE: February 2010

Just a little lite reading for all you busy brides :)

TOP 10 NATIONAL 2009 HIGHLIGHTS
1. TOP PRIORITIES: Venue, Band/ DJ and Photography: The bulk
of the average wedding
budget is still dominated by the reception venue ($12,838);
followed by the reception band and or DJ ($3,288 and $892 on
average); and photography ($2,444 on average).
2. WEDDING-RELATED EVENTS: Extra Parties and Extra Price Tags: Weddings
continue to become multiple-day affairs (average is three days).
Approximately 87% of couples had a rehearsal
dinner costing $1,163 on average and nearly 30% of couples
hosted an after-party the day of their wedding (an increase over
11.5% over 2008).
3. BUDGETS: Everyone's Contributing: In today's challenging
economic climate, the bride's parents are contributing
somewhat more to the wedding budget, on average (46% of the
budget, a 4.5% increase over 2008) followed by the bride and groom
(40% of the budget). Grooms' parents also contributed (12% of the
budget).
4. MUSIC: Couples Want a Bit of Everything: In 2009, couples
who hired a band chose a mix of music
styles, including oldies and pop (26%) followed by rock and
'80s (24% and 17%).
5. FORMALITY: Weddings Remain More Casual: Weddings continue to be
less formal with only 20% of weddings in 2009 being characterized
as "formal/black tie."
6. PLANNERS: Brides Still Turn to Professional Help: Of the
19% of brides who hire a professional
wedding planner, the results were split fairly evenly between
day-of coordination (48%) and full service (41%).
7. CAKE: Inventive New Flavors: Although traditional flavors like
vanilla and chocolate remain most popular (50%), couples are also
choosing more unusual flavors for their wedding
cakes such as lemon, cream cheese, and red velvet (13%,
10%, and 10% respectively).
8. COLORS: Brides Chose More Jewel Tones: Taking a cue from
the fashion runways, brides are increasingly incorporating more
jewel tones, like purple, into their weddings (a 50% increase over
2008) and forgoing historically popular shades like brown (a
decline of 19% over 2008).
9. WEDDING THEME: Brides Make It Unique: Over 29% of brides
incorporate a wedding logo or monogram into their wedding day
details; 15% include special signature cocktails at the reception
(a 25% increase from 2008).
10. DIY: Most Brides Have at Least One DIY Element: The average
number of DIY
elements was three; the top DIY categories were ceremony programs
(54%), favors (50%), and escort cards (44%).

SOURCE: The Knot Inc.

T~