Just as with anything in life, a full decade can present a plethora of changes and the wedding industry is no different. Simply put, weddings in 2020 look much different than those from ten years ago. Over the years since 2010, engaged couples have placed an increased emphasis on customizing every aspect of their big day, as more and more move away from traditional practices. In addition, they haven’t been shy about adapting to technological advancements and incorporating these into everything from their wedding planning to the wedding day itself.
Here at Madera Estates, we’ve been heavily involved in the wedding industry for the majority of this past decade. It truly has been remarkable to see how weddings have grown in such a short time! From fireworks consistently lighting up the night to live alpacas appearing on wedding days, there are simply no limits when it comes to planning a wedding in 2020. Anything is truly possible! In this week’s blog, we’re going to take a deeper look at some of the more notable shifts from 2010 to 2020. While millennials still cover the bulk of weddings right now, we will start seeing more and more Gen Z couples come through. With this, there will without a doubt continue to be more changes and we can’t help but be intrigued by what may be coming! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though!
Here’s a few of the amazing changes that past decade created in the wedding industry:
Social Media Takes Weddings Digital
Before we dive into more of the numbers behind weddings, it’s impossible to ignore the impact social media has had on weddings in the last ten years. In particular, we’re going to discuss Instagram here today! Instagram has created the perfect platform where brides can truly research and get inspiration for every aspect of their big day! They can follow different venues, photographers, florists and other vendors to get an idea of their individual styles and whether or not they match what the couple had envisioned.
At the same time, they’re able to see pictures from friends, who are likely to share details of their nuptials across Instagram! For those individuals that you don’t already follow, Instagram is largely built on the idea of hashtags, which allows users to easily search for other people talking about similar topics. For example, say you’re considering a wedding in the Houston area. You can search #houstonweddings, #houstonbride, #houstonweddingphotographer and #houstonweddingvenue to find a number of potential vendors for your big day! While we’re on the topic of hashtags, don’t forget to come up with a clever hashtag for your actual wedding day! Your guests can tag their photos with that hashtag and you’ll have a nice little collection of photos to look back on! This has become extremely popular in recent years!
All in all, Instagram has transformed weddings by opening up an endless platform of wedding ideas. While a wedding planner is still critical to ensure everything runs smoothly, coming up with ideas is a much easier task in 2020 than it was in 2010.
Our team at Madera Estates absolutely LOVES sharing new pictures and videos on Instagram, as well as live stories from real weddings at our venue! If you ever want to get an idea of what a wedding looks like at Madera, this is a perfect place to start! Feel free to give us a follow HERE.
Average Cost of Weddings Gradually Increasing
One of the more challenging aspects of planning a wedding revolves around budgeting! If this is the first time you’ve planned an event of this magnitude, it can be hard to keep track of all the various expenses included. From hiring a catering company, photographer, videographer, booking a venue, printing invitations and so on, it’s vital to establish a budget from the get-go. In doing so, make sure to leave a little bit of wiggle room, as there will always be a few hidden expenses that pop up! Head over to our recent blog post HERE for some of our favorite budgeting tips.
For the purposes of this week’s blog post though, let’s look at the total cost behind your special day! Whenever it comes to average wedding numbers, we always feel confident in falling back on The Knot’s yearly reports, which are based on the answers from thousands of couples. The average cost of a wedding in 2019 was $33,900 (keep in mind this includes the cost of the engagement ring as well). That can be compared to $26,984, which was the average cost back in 2010. For the most part, these numbers have gradually gone up each year, outside of a spike in 2016 that saw the number inflate to $35,309.
Bride and Groom Are Older
Just as the average cost of a wedding has gone up, so has the ages of the bride and grooms. Based on The Knot’s 2010 study, the average age of the bride was 29 and for the groom, it was 31. In 2019, these numbers have grown slightly, as brides are at 31 and grooms at 34. Not a huge jump, but still significant considering they interviewed around 20,000 couples for each study! At the same time, this age jump correlates directly with the increased number of couples personally contributing towards the cost of their wedding day.
Less Guests and Larger Wedding Parties
Our next trend revolves around a few more stats from The Knot’s yearly reports. First off, we have the guest count. As many of you know, the guest count is one of the toughest decisions you’ll face in the months leading up to your big day. For those cutting it close on a budget, this is an easy way to create some breathing room financially. Nonetheless, recent years have seen couples opting for less guests to create a more intimate ceremony (and save a few bucks in the process)! In 2010, the average number of guests was 141, while 2019 had that number at 131. At the same time though, the cost per guest has increased by over $60, so it might not be as much as of a cost savings as you’d hoped!
While guest counts have diminished, wedding parties have gotten bigger! The average wedding party in 2019 sits at 10, while 2010 averaged out at 4 bridesmaids and 4 groomsmen.
More and More Options
While there’s no set numbers or percentages to attribute to this final trend, you’ll just have to trust us on this one! As the past decade has come and gone, it’s quickly becoming apparent the options are endless when it comes to hosting a wedding in 2020. There’s a reason why our motto at Madera Estates reads, “When planning a wedding, no couple wants to hear about limits. Neither do we. That’s why we work with you to plan a day built on dreams, a visionary event in which every detail, from grand to intimate, is carried out beyond all expectations.” We know there’s plenty of options to pick from and don’t want to limit you to just a few of them!
Couples are getting this inspiration from weddings all over the world and coming up with ways to make their own truly unique! You can thank Instagram and social media as a whole for making this possible! And guess what? All of the vendors are doing the exact same thing to make their client’s experiences memorable! We’re lucky to have seen some of these celebrations first-hand here at Madera Estates. Firework displays, live animals, amazing musical performances, themes, live wedding painting, you name it! We covered all of these “extras” in a recent blog post. Check it out HERE.
In the end, there’s simply more cool features to pick from and truly make your wedding a once-in-a-lifetime celebration!
Take a Tour Through Madera Estates
As briefly mentioned in the introduction, we’ve been blessed to have seen many of these changes first-hand here at Madera Estates! Ever since opening the doors to our venue, one of our number one goals has been to create a stress-free process, while also ensuring our couples don’t have to worry about any limits! We understand how special of a day this is to you and want to make sure every single detail is just right! Whether that be a 4th of July-style firework display or live wedding painting, we’re here to make it a reality!
Ready to take a look around Madera? To get started, we always encourage couples to schedule a free champagne tour of our venue. You’ll be given the opportunity to chat with one of our wedding planning experts to discuss pricing, preferred vendors and more. In addition, they’ll walk you through the many areas that make up Madera, including the Hacienda and Grand Fireplace. To schedule your own private tour, click the link HERE and select a time that works for you!