Singaporebrides | Editors' Notes
May 2020
SingaporeBrides Wedding Industry Overview 2020
Our annual wedding industry overview offers great insight into couples’ behaviour as they plan their weddings in 2020.
Early this year, we launched a survey with our readers, hoping to understand their needs and preferences while they plan their weddings. The information we gathered will help our site and wedding vendors improve services and better cater to couples’ needs.
Here are some interesting statistics we want to share with our readers, so they can see what other brides and grooms are doing as well. Do note that the survey was conducted early February, before the start of the Circuit Breaker period, so the altered behaviour of this period will not be reflected in the results. You can see the full overview here.
Survey participant demographics
Firstly, a vast majority of the participants of the survey were female, and we were not surprised. Where are the grooms-to-be? We want to hear from you! This statistic could be related to the next one, which shows that…
Who are the major decision makers?
… the groom usually isn’t the major decision maker for the wedding day. A large percentage of couples make their decision together, which is great! There could be many reasons why the bride would be making all the decisions. Perhaps 23% of our readers would prefer to have control over all aspects of the wedding, and we’re not judging you for that!
There is a small percentage of couples who left the decision making to their parents, likely because…
The 1% are going to be my new best friends
… they are the ones paying for most of the wedding. However, in the recent years, most couples pay for their own weddings, since couples are now more than willing and able to afford the wedding that they envision.
Average spending for the wedding
From this infographic, you can see that most couples spend between $30,000 to $50,000 for a wedding. An average wedding includes a wedding package from a bridal boutique, a photography package, and a dinner banquet from a venue such as a restaurant or a hotel ballroom.
Hotels are still a popular wedding choice
In fact, results from the survey shows that a majority of couples still host their weddings at a hotel, which explains where most of their budget goes. Try not to compare your spending with the other percentages, since every couple’s preferences are different. As long as you had a great day at your wedding, everything else doesn’t matter. Don’t put yourself in debt for a day of celebrations. Remember–you probably have a bigger project (read: new home) on the way!
Wedding peak season
We don’t have seasons in Singapore, so we don’t have peak periods such as spring and summer wedding seasons from March to September. However, it seems couples do prefer getting married at the end of the year. Future wedding couples should consider getting married in the first half of the year. More dates, and maybe better rates! Of course, this only applies if you have enough time to plan your wedding.
Average time needed to plan a wedding
Our survey shows that a majority of couples have more than nine months to plan for their weddings, so being able to secure a good date for their big day at a venue of their choice wouldn’t be a big problem. During these months, couples would likely be searching for their vendors, and it’s definitely not an easy task to decide on one. Unless you’re already following a designer or a photographer that you like, having to browse through myriad portfolios from talented vendors can lead to decision fatigue. For the newly engaged, here are some factors you can use to help narrow down your choices.
When the price is right
It is no surprise that “price” comes out top in being an important deal-breaker when making a decision on wedding vendors. When presented with, let’s say, three vendors with very similar qualities, choosing the one that best fits your budget is logical. Following closely behind at 73 per cent is “portfolio” or “experience”. These numbers tells us that most couples are willing to pay more for a vendor they can trust. They are also better able to dicern between their likes and dislikes, and will spend time browsing through the choices available, together. Even when it comes to the engagement ring.
Hands up if you think proposals are still important
About half of the people we surveyed bought their engagement rings together with their significant others. It has become acceptable in Singapore to first apply for a BTO flat before getting engaged, so this result wasn’t exactly unexpected. Or are women becoming more vocal about their shiny solitaires? Again, not judging. Engagement rings can be one of the big ticket items in the many things you’ll be purchasing for your weddings, so looking for one together is a rather practical decision.
I do hope the men are not using this as an excuse to not do a proper proposal. As much as it is a clichéd and nerve-wrecking show of your intentions to be married to your girl, even a small and private moment between the two of you will leave a beautiful and lasting memory. Since none of you were able to have full control of the wedding (as seen from infographic above), we give you this one small but extremely significant thing. You’d only have to bend one knee.
For the full SingaporeBrides Wedding Industry Overview 2020, please view here. Thank you to all the participants!
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