The Tradition of Marketing in the Wedding Industry
As a wedding coordinator and planner, Emily sees a lot of time being spent on the what, when, where and who of a wedding day. But she wants to focus on the why. Why her clients are making the choices that they are – from the color scheme and the location, to the time of year and the people they are choosing to celebrate with.
She’s also asking why the wedding industry has become what it is. Why couples have been led to have a consumer mindset about an intimate day. Inspired by reading Brides, Inc.: American Weddings and the Business of Tradition, a book by Vicki Howard, Emily is diving into the mind-blowing history of manufactured wedding traditions and the drive for consumerism within the wedding industry.
The now recognizable and expected elements of a wedding didn’t always exist. Wedding gowns weren’t always white, wedding venues hadn’t been established, and grooms didn’t always wear rings. Traditions were manufactured or heavily elaborated with the sole intention of influencing consumers to idolize, want, or purchase something. The industry’s ideal wedding costs a significant amount of money in order to drive the market.
When you picture a wedding, you probably don’t even realize you’re imagining something elaborate. We are influenced by social media every day, further perpetuating a materialistic consumer mindset when it comes to weddings. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The expense of one day should not disrupt the rest of your life.
Listen to the latest podcast for more of Emily’s knowledge on the history of wedding day traditions and how to make intentional choices that are right for you.