John's Photography: April 2010

News for Wedding

In the survey by the popular website Shutterfly, it seems that some brides are beginning to be remorseful about some of their budget decisions regarding their wedding day. My interpretation of the survey data is that brides are starting to realize that they should have invested more on their wedding photographer.

According to the survey results, some 22% of recent brides felt they should have spent more money on their photographer. Understand that human nature will prevent many from EVER admitting they make a mistake in their decision making, so this number is probably far lower than reality if every survey participant was totally honest.

There are two things that I want everyone to draw from this. First, brides are actually admitting that finding the cheapest photographer is not always the best choice for their wedding. Second, and even more important, each of you now has some unbiased statistical data from a well recognized website that you can share with your potential brides and grooms. Each of you should work these survey results into your sales presentation when you get to the discussion of the prices for your products and services.

What I find interesting is that Shutterfly is a website dedicated to the do-it-yourself bride and photo enthusiast. It is the most popular site for brides to upload pictures and create albums. Your potential brides are very familiar with Shutterfly. It is often talked about on the wedding forums and blogs to help brides to save money. I feel that some brides will at least pause when you present this data to them.

Considering the way the wedding photography industry is going, this strategy certainly can’t hurt you any. And for those of you who feel I only report the doom and gloom, send along any encouraging info that you find and I’ll certainly share it with the group.

You can read the Shutterfly survey results below.
Shutterfly survey of Brides
Posted by Jennifer Kruger on April 16, 2010 • Leave a Comment
Shutterfly Inc., Redwood City, Calif., revealed survey results indicating brides are do-it-yourselfers; blue is the “it” color this season; and past brides feel they spent too much money on some surprising wedding purchases. Shutterfly also boosted its bridal line of designer stationery with 250 new styles, including engagement party, bachelorette party and rehearsal dinner invitations, wedding announcements and thank yous, as well as new bridal shower and save the date cards.
Though the economy may have impacted pre-wedding celebrations, according to Shutterfly’s Wedding Trends Survey administered by Decipher Inc., March 22-30th, 2010, bridal showers and bachelorette parties are back. The survey polled 422 women who were married in the past 12 months, and 500 women who are engaged and will be married in the next 12 months. Results showed an anticipated 58 percent rise in bachelorette parties and a 47 percent increase in showers.
Responding to this demand, Shutterfly debuts nearly 90 new styles created specifically for those pre-wedding events from noted designers like Dabney Lee, Stacy Claire Boyd and Tag & Co.
Traditional “rules” of wedding planning say that the maid/matron of honor organizes the pre-wedding parties. Although nearly half of survey respondents said that their maid of honor took the lead on planning, the survey also reported a 36 percent rise in brides planning their own showers, and a bump in them planning their own bachelorette parties, too. The study showed a shift away from bachelorette party planning by friends who aren’t in the bridal party (61 percent decrease); more and more sisters are taking on that responsibility (47 percent increase).
Of survey respondents married within 12 months prior to the survey, 28 percent felt they didn’t spend enough money on the honeymoon; 22 percent felt the same about the photographer. Nineteen percent of the same sample reported spending too much on the bridal gown and food.
The study also showed blue is the color of the season. Twenty-seven percent of engaged brides listed blue as their primary wedding hue. Other hot schemes were black and white (24 percent); purple (19 percent) and red (17 percent).