Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - S9E11 - For Better or For Worse: Wedding Marketing

Episode Date: March 12, 2020

Dum dum da dum. This week, we explore the lucrative world of Wedding Marketing. Weddings are big, big business. As a result, the wedding industry is a big marketing category. From invitations and flowers to dresses and cakes, weddings are an $80 billion-dollar industry. And planning the perfect wedding day is a lot of pressure. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly. As you may know, we've been producing a lot of bonus episodes while under the influences on hiatus. They're called the Beatleology Interviews, where I talk to people who knew the Beatles, work with them, love them, and the authors who write about them. Well, the Beatleology Interviews have become a hit, so we are spinning it out to be a standalone podcast series. You've already heard conversations with people like actors Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and Beatles confidant Astrid Kershaw. But coming up, I talk to May Pang, who dated John Lennon in the mid-70s. I talk to double fantasy guitarist Earl Slick, Apple Records creative director John Kosh. I'll be talking to Jan Hayworth,

who designed the Sgt. Pepper album cover. Very cool. And I'll talk to singer Dion, who is one of only five people still alive who were on the Sgt. Pepper cover. And two of those people were Beatles. The stories they tell are amazing. So thank you for making this series such a success. And please, do me a favor, follow the Beatleology interviews on your podcast app. You don't even have to be a huge Beatles fan, you just have to love storytelling.

Subscribe now, and don't miss a single beat. This is an apostrophe podcast production. Your teeth look whiter than noon, noon, noon! You're not you when you're hungry. You're in good hands with us. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. Question. When you listen to the following piece of music,

what is the first word that jumps to mind? Exactly. Shakespeare. That famous piece of music, now known as The Wedding March, was composed as an overture by Felix Mendelssohn. He was just 17 when he wrote it. By that age, he had already composed four operas and twelve string symphonies and was a wonderful pianist, violinist, and accomplished artist. At 17, I was an accomplished grocery bagger at A&P.

Mendelssohn was a child prodigy. Years later, he was commissioned by the King of Prussia to compose some incidental music for a production of the King's favorite play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Mendelssohn was also a big fan of Shakespeare and very cleverly incorporated his earlier overture into a new, more ambitious suite he composed for the play. Sixteen years later, that version of the Wedding March became popular when Queen Victoria's oldest daughter, Princess Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise, had it performed when she married Frederick William IV of Prussia.

Because mom Queen Victoria sanctioned that decision, churches began playing the secular song at wedding ceremonies. Since that day, the wedding march has been played during millions of traditional marriage ceremonies. That, and this piece. Known as Here Comes the Bride, the actual title of this piece is the Bridal Chorus,

written by Wagner in 1850. Like Mendelssohn's Wedding March, it wasn't written for weddings either. It was composed for an opera called Lohengrin. A few interesting notes about this particular opera. First, it is about two star-crossed lovers whose marriage is doomed. In the opera, the song is sung to the newly wedded couple by the bride's handmaidens, not during the ceremony, but after,

as they lead the couple to their matrimonial bed. Wink, wink. Then the groom, Lohengrin, ends up murdering five wedding guests, then promptly abandons his bride. That's a lovely wedding story. It really is. It must have been a controversial song choice for a wedding back then,

all things considered, but Princess Victoria liked it and had Wagner's piece played as she walked up the aisle and Mendelssohn's piece played as the royal couple walked back down the aisle as man and wife. Two more tidbits. Wagner was very anti-marriage, and he didn't like Mendelssohn's music at all. As a matter of fact, he wrote a scathing essay attacking it.

And therein lies one of the delicious ironies of history. Even though Wagner disliked Mendelssohn's music, they have become forever joined to have have and to hold, from that day forward, as their two famous pieces of music are now forever wed, to weddings. Weddings are big, big business. As a result, companies in the wedding industry are big, big marketers. Every corner of a wedding has a large and willing category of companies ready to answer the call. From invitations and flowers to wedding dresses and cakes, weddings are an $80 billion industry.

And planning the perfect wedding is a lot of pressure. You're under the influence. When movie star Elizabeth Taylor married a construction worker named Larry Fortensky in 1991, it raised a lot of eyebrows in La La Land. It was Taylor's eighth marriage. The wedding cost $1.5 million, or $2.7 million in today's dollars. This ceremony was held at the Neverland Ranch, and host Michael Jackson picked up the tab. Yep, weddings are expensive. Average non-Elizabeth Taylor weddings can cost anywhere from $10,000 for a small intimate gathering to over $30,000 for a very nice but far from extravagant wedding.

From there, you can go full Kardashian if you like. to over $30,000 for a very nice but far from extravagant wedding. From there, you can go full Kardashian if you like. These figures are made up of invitations, venues, caterers, wines and spirits, wedding dresses, suits, jewelry, makeup and hair professionals, photographers, wedding gifts, music and entertainment. Then there's the honeymoon. That is why wedding marketing is such a huge category. Over 160,000 marriages will take place in Canada this year,

over 2.4 million in the U.S. Three-quarters of those marriages will occur between June and September. And although a June wedding has always been considered the high-water mark, not true. August is the big month for wedding bells. Jewelry stores will tell you December is the big month for engagements, with many engagement rings finding themselves under the tree. Most wedding marketing is aimed at brides. That's why most wedding magazines are aimed at brides. Even in the digital age where many print magazines are struggling, almost 80% of brides purchase wedding magazines. These publications have also expanded their coverage beyond the actual wedding day

to include wedding-related events like engagement parties, showers, and honeymoon ideas. This allows magazines to attract advertising for other product categories like clothing, footwear, and accessories. Wedding marketing is such big business that many mainstream magazines now feature bridal sections, including Vogue. And together with the arrival of social media, the pressure now exerted on couples

to stage a perfect wedding is intense. When I got married back in 1983, and yes, I was a baby, my wife and I found our wedding vendors through word of mouth and the yellow pages. But planning has undergone a huge change due to social media. It has given rise to what is referred to as bride perfectionism. Because most of the wedding planning is left to brides, it creates a lot of pressure to stage Instagram-worthy events. In order to attract likes and shares for wedding photos

posted on Facebook or Instagram, or to get the attention of top wedding bloggers, weddings have to look not only beautiful, but perfect. Bloggers, in particular, have exerted enormous influence on the entire wedding industry. Some wedding blogs are huge, attracting over 650,000 views per month. They have become full-time businesses for bloggers. Many brides-to-be read these blogs almost daily, seeing the latest trends in wedding themes, dresses, and even table settings. And brides submit their wedding photos and videos to wedding blogs, increasing the pressure to be

selected and featured. But brides aren't the only ones clamoring to get the attention of bloggers. There is pressure on suppliers and vendors, too. Florists, cake makers, photographers, dress designers, caterers, and wedding planners all hope to be featured by the top bloggers. A glowing mention is invaluable marketing, which is important because most suppliers are scouted and hired online. Social media has seeped into every single aspect of the modern wedding, from the very first date to the last minute of the honeymoon.

Besides the fact that nearly one quarter of couples, straight and LGBTQ+, meet online these days, 80% of engaged couples do the majority of their wedding planning online. Most brides announce their engagement on social media within 24 hours of getting the ring. Couples announce, plan, and celebrate the big day on social media. By far, the top social media sites for wedding planning are Pinterest and Instagram. These two sites topped wedding magazines, websites, apps, and basic Google wedding searches

as the most popular planning resources. Let's talk Pinterest for a moment. Over 40 million people incorporate Pinterest into their wedding planning each year. People who use Pinterest post 900 million wedding-related pins or photos every year and conduct 378 million wedding-related searches on the site annually. Couples, brides in particular, start using Pinterest earlier than any other wedding site when they're in the planning mode. Over time, they move into the decision-making mode and start to build a collection of images on Pinterest

that will define their wedding. Then there are websites and apps. Wedding suppliers reach couples with their goods and services through sites like The Knot and WeddingWire. Together, they get 13 million unique views per month and make over 1 million vendor recommendations per day. When singer Mariah Carey's engagement to billionaire James Packer was suddenly called off, she did something unusual. When the I Do's didn't happen, she released a song titled I Don't and set fire to her $250,000 Valentino wedding dress in the song's video. Let that be a lesson to somebody.

For brides, wedding dresses are the number one priority, followed by reception venue and caterer. Most pick out their dresses roughly 11 months before their wedding. So, with the majority of weddings happening in the spring and summer, that means fall is the busiest time for dress shopping and dress marketing. Wedding dress sales alone make up nearly half of the entire retail wedding industry revenues. Most brides do extensive research online to browse wedding dress styles. Yet, 85% of brides buy their wedding dresses at a local bridal store or a nearby location of a national chain.

They want to try dresses on before making a decision and often bring their best friends with them for opinions. This is a category where margins are high and customers can be convinced to spend more. As a matter of fact, while almost all couples work to a budget, a full third say they spent more than they intended on dresses. Interesting to note that in a recent survey, 80% of brides said they had regrets about their wedding day. One of the top reasons? Disappointment with their dress. They all said they would have exchanged their dress for a different one

after taking a look at their wedding photos. But the good news is you can always sell your dress after the big day on nearlynewlywed.com. Before Kim Kardashian became Mrs. Kanye West, she was married to a pro basketball player for 72 days. Their wedding registry included suggested gifts such as gold napkin rings, a set of $800 salad spoons, and a $7,800 crystal vase. Total value of their wedding registry list, $567,000. That translated into, let's see, six carry the one, $7,800 per day of marriage.

Yeah. It's estimated that wedding guests dish out upwards of $19 billion a year on wedding gifts. Couples ask for pricey items, and guests tend to pay full price for them. That's why wedding registries are huge marketing categories, lucrative and competitive. If I were to ask you what the most popular wedding registry company is today, what would you say? Bed Bath & Beyond? Williams-Sonoma? The Hudson's Bay Company?

Nordstrom's? Well, the answer is Amazon. It has nearly doubled the market share of Bed Bath & Beyond, which used to be the far and away market leader. Amazon makes itself very attractive to couples with its Amazon River of Product categories and by offering discounts for completing the registry list of items and bonus gifts if guests have spent a certain amount of money on specific brands. But these days, couples are getting married later in life.

The median age of first marriage has reached its highest point on record. In Quebec, for example, it's now 33 years old for men, 31 for women. Eight years older than in the 1970s. Getting married later means couples already have the houseware basics. That's why wedding registries have changed dramatically in the last 10 years. And cold, hard cash is becoming a pragmatic registry item. A registry called HoneyFund.com, for instance, is a crowdfunding registry that allows guests to contribute cash towards a couple's honeymoon. Couples create a profile on the site listing financial goals.

It could be the honeymoon in general or aspects of the honeymoon like airfare, hotel stays, etc. Since its launch in 2006, Honey Fund has been used by over 800,000 couples and over $600 million has been gifted to couples for honeymoons. The registry makes its money by charging handling fees of around 3%. Asking for cash, once considered inappropriate, has become a growing trend in the wedding gift category. Since 2016, the number of couples signing up for cash registries has grown by 50%.

Couples ask for cash gifts to help with down payments on homes or to reduce student debt, or in some cases, they ask guests to donate cash to their favorite charity. But that's not the only kind of registry out there. Some registries, like SimpleRegistry.com, offer to assemble a list of anything you want, all in one place. It could be obscure eBay items or guitar lessons. It could be Airbnb stays, home repairs, foodie events, fitness classes, skydiving lessons, or gift cards to ecologically conscious companies. The So Kind Registry, whose slogan is more fun, less stuff,

offers wedding gifts made up of services like babysitters, dog walkers, and resume help. It also offers gifts of secondhand tools and gently used clothing. And there is also a gift category for the big day itself. That includes cleanup crews, wedding day coordinators, and rehearsal dinner hosting. But what if you have champagne wishes and caviar dreams? And we'll be right back.

If you're enjoying this episode, why not dip into our archives, available wherever you download your pods. Go to terryoreilly.ca for a master episode list. When Elton John and Canadian David Furnish got married, they reportedly spent over $130,000 on caviar and pink champagne. The LGBTQ plus community is also an important wedding segment. All the top wedding websites have dedicated content listing LGBTQ plus wedding expos, gay-friendly venues, planning tips, and blogs. There are also many sites dedicated exclusively to LGBTQ plus weddings,

like RainbowWeddingNetwork.com. According to The Knot, only half of same-sex couples get down on bended knee to propose in the traditional way. Instead, they mutually agree to marry. For years now in the gay community, both partners wear engagement rings, and it's a trend straight couples are picking up on.

Good news for jewelers. Watches are also a popular engagement symbol. Less than half of LGBTQ plus couples opt for a wedding party, whereas almost 90% of straight couples have bridesmaids and groomsmen. Instead, gay couples often walk down the aisle together without any family or wedding party. And if they do have a wedding party, it's a mix of genders on both sides. Many wedding planners are saying

that LGBTQ plus weddings have historically been small, intimate affairs. But now that same-sex marriage laws are changing, couples are starting to choose big, traditional weddings, something they were long denied. So wedding suppliers are marketing heavily to the gay community as a result. And it goes without saying same-sex couples clearly favor vendors with LGBTQ plus friendly policies on their websites. They want to spend money with frienders that share their values. Suppliers, listen up.

When Michael Douglas married Catherine Zeta-Jones at the Plaza Hotel in New York, the couple wanted to prevent uninvited guests from crashing the wedding with fake invitations. So they created invitations with invisible ink that could only be detected by their security team. Very covert. There are a lot of fun innovations happening in the world of weddings these days. Many couples create custom hashtags so guests can see and share all the photos everyone is taking. Some weddings offer cell phone charging stations,

as smartphones get a lot of use over the course of a long wedding day. Printing companies can now offer 3D printed cake toppers. Couples can upload images and have perfect recreations of themselves topping their cake. This also allows for comical ideas. I saw a bride and groom cake topper where they are hugging each other while secretly looking at their smartphones behind each other's back. Very funny. You can also have a 3D printing company set up at your reception and print unique one-of-a-kind gifts for your guests. You can now project images onto wedding cakes. This is more amazing than it sounds. You can project photos, videos, and images onto two sides of a tiered wedding cake.

The animation possibilities are incredible. From fireworks to waterfalls to well wishes from guests, just about anything you can imagine can be projected. Check that out on Google. How about heartbeat technology? Track your heart rate as you walk down the aisle and at other high points during the wedding, then have your heart rate sheet printed out and framed.

Photographers are using drones to capture stunning views on wedding days. But drones have many uses. Why not use a drone as your ring bearer? Yep, you can have a drone sail right into the ceremony and deliver the rings right to your fingers.

It's possible. There's even paparazzi proposals, where a photographer will surreptitiously photograph your surprise proposal moment. If you're looking for flexible workouts, Peloton's got you covered. proposal moment. that you have something there to adapt with you, whether you need a challenge or rest. And Peloton has everything you need, whenever you need it. Find your push. Find your power.

Peloton. Visit Peloton at onepeloton.ca. Last October in California, a bride walked down the aisle holding a bouquet of sunflowers and some weed. The groom sported a boutonniere or bud-tonniere with a single sunflower and weed, as in marijuana. The bonus, they can both be smoked later. Guests enjoyed slices of a THC-infused wedding cake and the bar offered hits of concentrated cannabis oil via a vaporizer while a bud tender rolled joints. Welcome to the new world of cannabis-themed weddings.

There were over two dozen cannabis wedding vendors at the wedding expo held in Las Vegas recently. And Calgary hosted Canada's first cannabis wedding expo last March, featuring weed-inspired ideas from a range of gongipreneurs. While commercial edibles are not yet legal in Canada, the expo gave couples lots of fun ideas, like wedding cakes with weed themes, desserts that look like weed but without active ingredients,

CBD bath bombs as wedding party gifts, and table flower vases that doubled as bongs. The possibilities are endless, all of which brings new meaning to the words wedding hashtag. Companies know that all life-changing moments are huge marketing opportunities, like babies, new homes, and weddings. There was a time when the only weddings we saw were the ones we attended.

But in today's social media world, we see thousands of weddings from every imaginable angle. That expansive view not only inspires ideas, it puts a lot of pressure on couples to live up to a new standard. A standard that brides see scrolling through social media on their lunch hours. And a standard couples fear guests will expect. These days, the wedding marketing machine is an all-terrain vehicle.

There is an app for every conceivable element of weddings, from drag-and-drop seating arrangement planners to apps that help you find venues by filtering region, price, and capacity, to wedding budgeting apps and apps to help you plan a green wedding. There have never been more ways to help you spend more matrimonial money. That said, these sites can certainly help you plan a wedding in an orderly, well-paced, check-listed way. After all, there's a lot of things

to arrange when you're planning the biggest party of your life. That's why two of the sweetest words in the marketing world are I do when you're under

the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded in the Terrastream Mobile Recording Studio. Producer, Debbie O'Reilly. Sound Engineer, Keith Ullman. Theme music by Ari Posner and Ian Lefevre. If you liked this episode, you might also enjoy The Odd Couple, Unlikely Marketing Combinations, Season 6, Episode 10. You'll find it in our archives wherever you download your podcasts. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Terry O Influence.

See you next week. The next Cannabis Wedding Expo in Las Vegas is March 22nd, 2020, 11 a.m. to 4.20 p.m. Get your tickets now, man.