Skip to main content

Weddings: 2012-2014 trends in gifts, getting there, and bridal attendant costs ...



Weddings can be extravagantly costly or cheap-and-cheerful. But what are Americans spending, on average, on weddings and gifts? American Express Spending & Saving Tracker conducted a survey on trends, as well as the average costs involved, mainly for guests (The Financial, finchannel.com, April 28, 2014).
First up, more than 67 million Americans plan to attend at least one wedding in 2014.
The American couples getting married are still trying to control costs but the do-it-yourself trend is declining – 74% of couples in 2013 said they were keeping tabs on the cost which is comparable with 72% in 2014.


Wedding party attendants will spend more in 2014, expecting to spend an average of $618 (this is 64% more than people spent in 2012). For female bridal attendants, 78% will purchase a new dress, although nearly 74% said that they would only wear it for that occasion. Half (49%) will choose to give the dress to a second-hand store or to a friend after the event, and 23% said that it will stay in their closet.
Wedding guests also expect to spend more in 2014. Guests expect to spend on average $592 (up 10% from 2013, and up 75% from 2012). Most of this budget will be spent on travel and accommodation to attend the event ($308), and on special clothes and accessories ($164), leaving $120 remaining. Guests will spend on average $109 on a wedding gift in 2014 (similar to 2013 with $108, and up 16% on 2012 with $94). If the recipient is a close family member, says the American Express survey, the average cost of the gift will double to $200 on average (up 20% from 2012).


The choice of wedding gift is likely to be what the couple wants. Couples generally make a list, or registry within a store or stores, of what they hope to receive. A third of guests (33%) will purchase a gift listed in the couple’s registry, with another third of guests (33%) giving money. Couples also indicate that they would like money as a wedding gift – 55% of couples wanted cash gifts from guests (which is similar to 2013 with 52%).
Wedding guests have high expectations for 2014 celebrations. Most guests (70% of them) think that delicious food is the most important component to a great wedding. This is an increasing trend over the last three years with 62% in 2012 saying food is critical and 67% in 2013. The survey didn’t indicate what type of “delicious” food would be required to make it a great day, but it’s probably best to ensure that they don’t go home hungry!


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. That
1 comment
Read more

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass
Post a Comment
Read more

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing
1 comment
Read more