Abstract
Mintels report comes at a time when consumer confidence is tangibly lower than it was when the 2002 and 2004 editions were published. Weddings and honeymoons are nearly always expensive items in the household budget and often draw on savings or require heavy borrowing, and economic uncertainty does not bode well for this market, where any temptation to economise seems inappropriate for the couples big day.
Given this economic context, it is intriguing that a wedding or honeymoon taken abroad, rather than within the UK, can often appear as good value for money to those who choose such a trip. The cost of the ceremony, of catering and accommodation and other services (hire cars, photographers etc) can be much lower than in the UK, even with the cost of flights added on.
Apart from cost comparisons, there are also some interesting socio-cultural variables emerging. The traditional patterns of courtship and marriage are under siege, with both men and women likely to wait until they are well into their late 20s or even 30s before considering their first marriage, by which time they are usually settled in careers, their own homes and in the relationship itself and may even already have children. Furthermore, traditionalists must now come to terms with the arrival in 2005 of an entirely new market: the gay wedding/honeymoon segment.
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