Tipperary Brides Cut the Guests Before they Cut the Dress: 2015 Wedding Survey
A newly released survey of over 600 Irish brides and grooms at WeddingDates.ie has found the traditional Irish wedding is changing to keep up with contemporary couples and present-day financial reality.
While church weddings still lead the way down the aisle, 20% of today’s couples now opt for a civil ceremony and 7% of couples choose to make their vows before a Humanist celebrant. In a significant change from grandma’s day, none of the survey respondents planned to celebrate with a reception at home or in a church hall; instead, a whopping 69% of couples are booking hotels from three to five stars for their big day.
The finances of weddings are changing, too. In post-recession Ireland, 12% of couples will spend more than €30,000 on their wedding and honeymoon, but the bulk (22%) will spend between €25 – 30,000. These days, only 10% of couples can depend on parents to fund their wedding; 59% will pay for their wedding from their own savings, and 30% will fund their nuptials at least in part with loan debt. More than half (57%) of couples reported cutting on spending to stick to the budget, but while the modern bride is happy to trim favours (57%) or cut the guest list (10%) to save on costs, only 6% are willing to sacrifice when it comes to the all-important dress.
WeddingDates CEO Ciara Crossan commented on other significant changes revealed by the survey. “Almost half of all brides now do their wedding planning online, using wedding websites and social media like Pinterest and Instagram,” she noted. “And while June has long been believed to be ‘the’ month for weddings, our survey found that July and August are much more popular with today’s couples.”
Despite the changes in modern wedding mores, romance is far from dead, however: when deciding on a venue, a location with sentimental meaning for the couple was the biggest consideration at 34%. Couples pinpointed inflexibility, pushiness and hidden costs as the main issues encountered when searching for their perfect wedding venue.
