Sally & Raymond - 2010 Wedding

Every bride wants her special day to be one breathtaking moment after another. Of course the most important moment is the one when she steps into the view of her groom and presents herself for his adoration and excitement. What a wonderful way to ease any nervous jitters! When he sees his bride all decked out in the absolute finest, he’ll be so star struck, it will feel like the dream it is! It will truly be a moment he won’t ever forget. It will be a moment that will always make him smile.

Modern Bride

For the modern bride there are choices our grandmas could only dare to dream of let alone actually speak of. For instance, the idea of a red wedding dress is now more than just an idea, it’s a reality. The wedding of style, class and color is becoming more and more popular. In keeping with the times, the bride can choose to wear whatever color she wants and not have to feel one bit embarrassed about it. Instead she can walk down the aisle with pride and dignity, wearing her femininity literally on her sleeve.


The colors she has to choose from are nearly limitless. Finding the right color to truly enhance her natural skin tone, hair color, figure and height can be a lot of fun. Often times a bride wants to consider what a color’s meaning may be as well. Here are a few considerations.

Classy & Beautiful

RED is of course the color of love! It’s also representative of fiery heat, increases interest and enthusiasm, warmth and of course passion. What a fitting color for any wedding! PINK can be for quiet love, romance and even excitement. It’s an interesting combination as well as a good choice for the bride, who wants to be a bit softer in her statement, yet still create a sensational entrance. YELLOW means joy, happiness, optimism and hope. This is a fantastic color for a second wedding as well as for the bride whose personal coloring shines with such a vibrant color.

There are hues of BLUES that have many meanings, such as peace, unity, trust, loyalty and even sophistication. Then there’s PURPLE or LAVENDER meaning ceremony, femininity, grace, elegance and spirituality. GREEN is good luck and renewal. All these colors are simply perfect for the bride who wants to fully enjoy the intensity of her very special day. What a true blessing that society no longer dictates how a bride expresses her love for her man. With an open, sincere, joyous public display that’s just as tasteful as the traditional expectations of yesteryear.

When it comes to wedding dress fashion, the choices are only limited by imagination. The days of limitations are long gone and the excitement of planning a wedding has reached new heights. The most important decision for the bride (after choosing her man, of course!) is deciding on the perfect wedding dress to express her love and desire. For so many decades, custom called for white. Representing purity, it was the only color choice allowed by society. In keeping with “something old, something new, something borrowed”, blue was acceptable. What about the color of love and desire?


Back then, a red wedding dress would have been absolutely unacceptable. The bride would surely be subjected to social out casting if she dared to openly express her womanly wiles. Well, what better day than to entice her man with a promise of exquisite passions than on her wedding day? Now any color wedding dress is more than acceptable and this wonderful change opens new doors that our grandmothers could only secretly wish for!


There have been some interesting traditions beyond custom demanding a bride wear a white dress. For instance a bride was once expected to do what was called “Collecting”. She would go door to door with a bag (such as a pillow case) and collect pre-wedding gifts. Possibly a precursor to what we now call a wedding shower. If she didn’t follow this tradition, she could actually be considered snobbish in some circles. Try going door to door demanding wedding gifts now! Neighbors may not appreciate such a bold move. How interesting that a red wedding dress could be considered bold, but collecting gifts door to door was not!


Then there was another custom that many wouldn’t even consider in modern times. It was called “Flouncing”. There was a party of sorts that was held with family and friends present. Not an unusual gathering of course, but its purpose was another thing all together! This “party” was held to establish a “formal” contract. Meaning, if either the future bride or groom were to change their mind before the big day, the other could actually demand half the offending person’s property. Now try that these days and see how well that holds up!


Any way one looks at it, there’s no question that some traditions are better left behind. The idea that a bride has to be limited is just ridiculous. It’s HER day and now she gets to have it HER way! So whether it’s a red wedding dress or a wedding dress that showcases all the colors of the rainbow, society won’t frown or ridicule. Instead she can bask in the glory of her man’s adoration and the envy of the guests lucky enough to be there for her special day.

Statistics on Weddings in the United States

• 2.3 million couples wed every year in the US or 6,200 weddings a day

• Average age of a bride in the US is 25.3

• Average age of a groom is 26.9

• Average number of guests invited to a wedding is 178

• One-third of those getting married each year have been married before

The money behind the marriage

• $72 billion per year is spent on weddings

• the average wedding budget is $20,000

• $1,016 is the average cost of wedding rings for the bride and groom

• Traditionally, the father of the bride would pay for everything.
Modern time of 21st century, the bride and groom themselves pay for the wedding about 30 percent of the time; the bride’s parents pay about 17 percent of the time. As for the rest of the time, costs are covered by different sources – the bride and groom and one or both sets of parents, according to surveys by Bride’s magazine.

• $19 billion per year is spent on wedding gift registries

• $8 billion per year is spent on honeymoons

• Average honeymoon budget is $3,657

• Over 91 percent of all to-be-weds register for gifts. The couple receives gifts from an average of 200 guests

• Most wedding guests spend between $70 and $100 on a gift

Timing of weddings

• June is the most popular month for weddings, then August, followed by September and October

Monthly breakdown:
January 4.7%
February 7.0%
March 6.1%
April 7.4%
May 9.8%
June 10.8%
July 9.7%
August 10.2%
September 9.6%
October 9.4%
November 7.4%
December 7.8%

Where do weddings take place?
• 80 percent of weddings are performed in churches or synagogues

Honeymoons

• 99 percent of newlyweds take a honeymoon

• Average couple will spend three times more on their honeymoon than a regular vacation
• 40 percent of honeymooners will travel within the United States, about 60 percent will travel to a foreign country
• Honeymoons usually last 7 to 9 days
• the most popular destinations are Las Vegas, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and
Jamaica
• 35 percent of brides and grooms have a valid passport

Other Interesting Tidbit

• Top wedding city in the world – Istanbul, Turkey with 166,000 for the year
• Las Vegas, Nevada is in second place with 114,000 weddings.

Sources for statistics

US Census Bureau
The Knot (http://www.theknot.com/au_industrystats.shtml),
The Association for Wedding Professionals International (http://www.afwpi.com/wedstats)
Sellmoreweddings.com
Sellthebride.com (http://www.sellthebride.com/tipsstats.htm)
American Demographics
Bride’s Millennium Report: Wedding Love & Money
Bride’s magazine