Wedding Professionals:

In 2010, we’ll see a continued increase in weddings that are personalized, green, vintage, destination and DIY. Brides will still want their “red carpet moment” but they will plan their weddings with a more practical, down-to-earth mindset. Think smaller, more intimate weddings with bigger, more dramatic details. I believe that many of the values that brides cared about in 2009 still hold true. Brides will look to be transformed on their big day, they will value shared experiences and they will make their day an extension of their personal individuality.

New wedding themes will also emerge in 2010. Thanks in part to Vera Wang’s 2009 classical design of Ivanka Trump’s dress, I believe we will start to see fewer strapless gowns and more creative accents like feathers. “The stuffy by-the-rule-book wedding of years past has completely vanished. There is a woman in white, music, food, cake and vows - but every other aspect of the American wedding has been reconsidered,” reports BRIDES Magazine New American Wedding Survey. Here are some additional statistics from the survey related to emerging wedding trends:
• Fewer than half of weddings take place in a house of worship.
• 20% of couples have a friend or relative deputized to perform the ceremony.
• 13% of receptions feature music via iPod.
• Couples going with live bands are hiring specialty bands such as salsa, R&B and Polka.
• Over 1/4 of couples plan their weddings around a theme.
• 97% of grooms get involved with the planning.
• Soul-food and Mexican are the new go-to wedding cuisines.

Despite the surge in new wedding trends, many old traditions will still live on throughout the next decade. BRIDES Magazine New American Wedding Survey also reported:
• 76% will have a large wedding with all the traditions.
• 87% of women will wear a long white dress.
• 93% will indulge in a cake-cutting ceremony.
• 75% of brides will toss the bouquet and just under that amount will share a father/daughter dance.

Niche wedding blogs as well as free wedding websites will continue to proliferate in 2010. One of the greatest trends from 2009 was the explosion of so many FREE online resources and social networks to promote our wedding businesses. This has become somewhat of a double-edged sword because these resources can be overwhelming to brides.

Wedding professionals with the most entrepreneurial mindsets will thrive. During tough economic times, it is the smaller, nimbler organizations that can be creative and adapt. In 2010, we’ll see many entrepreneurial minds partnering together, cross-promoting each other and bartering. Social networks are a great place to create and foster these types of symbiotic relationships with other wedding professionals.

Technology and innovation will continue to evolve the wedding industry. Wedding professionals will increase their productivity as more software tools are introduced into the marketplace. More people will join the wedding industry because it is becoming easier to set up a website and market one’s services. Finally, adjacent wedding businesses will emerge. A great example of this was the launch of RecycledBride in 2009. Technology was one of the biggest enablers of the new marketplace at RecycledBride where brides and vendors buy and sell all things wedding-related. 2010 will be a year where the wedding industry will see new technology platforms, new marketplaces and new ways to connect.

So, given this ever-changing industry, how can wedding professionals stay on top of the latest trends and break through the clutter?

There are two ways:
• Word-of-mouth referrals will be more important than ever.
To help with this, wedding professionals can compile and place positive testimonials on their websites. Wedding professionals can also increase word-of-mouth referrals by using social networks to connect with other professionals. Finally, wedding professionals can try to establish relationships with influential wedding bloggers.
• Be a thought leader on wedding trends and tips. By identifying and staying on top of a few wedding blogs or publications, you’ll be able to present brides with the most helpful and relevant tips. This will enable you to personally guide them through the massive amount of information that is out there.

My mission is to use BridalTweet as a platform to provide the right information and contacts to help you grow your businesses in 2010 and beyond. In 2010, I will continue my weekly blog to provide wedding professionals with free wedding business advice. And in January, I will be launching more tools to help you break through the clutter.

I want to personally thank you for all of your inspiration, enthusiasm and support in 2009. It has been an incredible year and I look forward to getting to know you better in 2010. Together, I believe our community will come up with countless, creative solutions and we will continue to thrive.

Happy Holidays to the entire wedding community,

P.S. What are your predictions for 2010 weddings? Please comment below.

About This Blog: Christine Dyer has an MBA in marketing and shares over ten years of marketing expertise with the wedding community. In this weekly blog called Supercharge Your Wedding Business, you'll find advice on an array of wedding business topics such as how to market to brides, social networking, wedding PR, wedding sales, vendor networking, branding, pricing and much more. .Please pass this news along to your own professional wedding network. To receive this advice in your email inbox each week, Sign Up for a Free BridalTweet Membership.

Views: 227

Comment by Megan M. Battistella on December 20, 2009 at 2:14pm
Great Post! Very interesting--definitely a Retweet, thank you!
Comment by Curtis Copeland on December 21, 2009 at 5:36am
Great data to consider. This will be helpful for us as we navigate the 2010 wedding photographers landscape. Thanks for sharing!

Curtis
Comment by Annette Aaron on December 21, 2009 at 5:46am
I'm looking forward to your 2010 new plans.
Comment by Fresh from the Kitchen LLC on December 21, 2009 at 6:41am
I feel we're on top of it! We have been booking a lot of small bite appetizer menus and picnic style too. I can't wait! :)
Comment by John Wiley on December 21, 2009 at 7:40am
Thanks for the usual great, useful info Christine! Happiest Holidays to you and yours as well as the rest of the Bridal Tweet team and all the subscribers, too!! :)
Comment by BuddyBoo Stationery on December 21, 2009 at 7:44am
This is great information! You're a great resource to help me stay current and fresh. Thanks.

Jean
BuddyBoo
Comment by Nicole Nichols Photography on December 21, 2009 at 9:38am
I can't wait for the strapless dress to go out of style, and I think its getting there! I also predict smaller weddings and more selective brides, but I think they will (hopefully) still value hiring true professionals to handle the most important elements of their wedding day.
Comment by Desert Light Weddings on December 21, 2009 at 10:26am
Thank you once again for your insight. I really learn a lot from BridalTweet, your postings as well as others!
Comment by Connecticut Calligraphy on December 21, 2009 at 10:44am
Thank you for the advice. I agree with word of mouth being the best promoter --- it really seems to be the most effective and gives you instant credibility with a potential client.
Comment by Melody Hinks on December 21, 2009 at 12:11pm
Yes, I agree with the new trends in weddings. I've actually put out feelers for various ideas I have and they are pouncing on them. I'm receiving alot of inquiries which is good. I'm talking to a lot of DIY brides
who are not wanting a planner so they can afford a more expensive dress. I remind them that while the planning might be easy its the execution on the day of their wedding that they will need to have an extra hand. Their reply as been how much do you charge? Its a great way to open up the communication line.
Thank You for giving valuable advice that wasn't around when I first started over 25 years ago......

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