Wedding Survey Results!
In August 2020 alongside Blake Hall Weddings, we surveyed over 500 couples, based mainly in England, UK, to find out how COVID-19 has affected their wedding plans.
We asked them about how they are feeling, whether COVID has changed what is most important to them about their day, if it had changed their budget… and much more.
Let’s hear what they had to say…
Feelings
Of our 2020 couples, 32% were having positive feelings about their day, whereas unsurprisingly, 67% were feeling negative or deflated.
There was more hope for our 2021 couples though - whilst 47% did feel deflated, anxious or stressed, a whopping 44% were cautiously optimistic or excited.
Let’s talk money…
How much have couples lost?
It’s not all doom and gloom. Out of all the couples who have had to postpone their wedding, 48% of them have lost no money at all, and of the ones who have, 92% of them have lost minimally (under £5,000).
Have budgets changed?
Whilst 71% of all the couples we surveyed have not change their budgets, of the ones that have, there is a real mix of results - unsurprisingly, as COVID has hit everyone’s finances differently.
Out of the couples who have postponed to 2021 or later, it seems more time to save is paying off, because 15% of them have upped their budget between £5K-£10K, whereas only 6% have reduced their budgets. In 2020, more couples have reduced their spend, with 15% of them taking between £5K-£15K away from their weddings.
The beautiful Blake Hall in Essex, who helped us with this survey, have made it as easy as possible for their couples to switch dates.
Suppliers and Venues
On a whole, our 2021 and later couples have managed to keep their venues, and most of the ones who have had to change, haven’t lost money.
However, 41% of them have had to change suppliers. Just over half of these couples found it an easy process to change over, with a very positive 80% able to find a replacement they were happy with! This change may not have come cheap, though. 64% of couples changing suppliers have lost money (the majority stating under £5K as the lost amount).
How Many Guests?
The million dollar question! Our survey was taken prior to wedding numbers being slashed again to 15, but prior to that, we can tell you that 64% of 2020 have reduced their guest numbers (no surprises there!) but a hopeful 98% of 2021 or later couples are planning on inviting over 30 guests, with 93% of them wanting over 50 guests in attendance, and 35% of them still planning on a guest list of 100+.
What are the most important things to couples?
Making guests feel loved is now hugely important to couples
Before COVID, our surveyed couples revealed that the most important 3 things to them were: having all their loved ones there, their vows and ceremony, and making their wedding unique to them as a couple. Now that COVID has happened, brides and grooms still value having their loved ones there and their vows above all else - but making their wedding unique is now not as important as making their guests feel loved. How wonderful is THAT!
We’re VERY happy to report that since our company personalises all our performances to be all about the happy couple and their most valued guests, we can actually help you make your day unique to you, and make your guests feel loved at the same time, so you don’t have to choose…check out our wedding page for more about that. But, onwards with the findings!
In general, couples would not mind if venue staff had to wear masks, or if they had to wait for their honeymoon. But couples are much likely to postpone if they weren’t allowed an evening party or evening bar.
How long will you wait?
Only 11% of couples would wait more than a year for their 'dream day' before they started to make adjustments to their plans. And perhaps that is because about 81% of couples are waiting for their wedding to be done with before a major life event like moving house, changing jobs, or having a baby.
What about different types of weddings?
The party & dancing element of the wedding is still a big factor for couples, who are most likely to postpone if that isn’t allowed
Service now, party later? 59% of 2020 couples are considering this, yet only 21% of 2021 couples are at this stage. In fact, only 14% of all couples planning for 2021 or later would consider a ‘micro wedding’, and 39% are not considering any other type of wedding at all - the traditional full day with a party is very important to people.
Something a little extra?
64% of postponing couples are considering adding extras to their day because they have more time to plan… the most popular extras are decorations, more food and drink, and luckily for us… entertainment! On that note (we are a bespoke entertainment company after all), most couples we surveyed are spending between £1000 and £1500 on their entertainment, and most are looking for something high quality, suitable for all, and to get their guests on the dancefloor - no surprises there! Entertainment like ours, that gets ALL guests involved partying and having fun with each other, is crucial to making your day memorable, in the best way.
A quarter of couples also specified that they want entertainment that is personalised to their guests…we KNEW it! Check out our wedding page for more information about how we tailor our performances to each wedding, or get in touch below.