WPCNR'S The Real Deal by The Wedding Jeannie. September 2, 2007: Labor Day weekend signals, among other things, the faux conclusion to summer, the return to real work and full time school, the closeting of most things white, the slow end to parties that revolve around paper plates and ice chests and the close of the wedding season.  Yeah, and if you believe the last one, it’s a good thing that you are reading this. 

Jeannie Uyanik,

The Wedding Jeannie

This is the first column of The Real Deal; a weekly feature that will give readers the actual scoop, inside details, true stories and substantiated facts on weddings and entertaining.  As the owner of a wedding planning firm in New York City, which plans weddings throughout the world, this writer’s emphasis will of course be on all things matrimonial, from ceremony to reception and rings to honeymoon travel; but it’s impossible to be fully versed on weddings without delving into the art, cost and trends of entertaining in general.

And there is no better place to start a tutorial on weddings and events than with a few commonly disputed and widely disparate facts and figures on weddings and entertaining.  CNN reported in 2002 that if the wedding industry were a company, it would be the 5^th largest company in the world.  The statistics of how much are spent on weddings in the US every year vary wildly, but we estimate that it’s roughly $50-60 billion per year.  Overall, throughout the world, that figure is closer to $200 billion. 

  It’s also important to note that it’s never clear – in any study – what the statistics include.  For instance, would a rehearsal dinner, brunches and showers be included in most of those calculations?  That’s a question we have been asking for 7 years.  Would these figures include the $4 billion in furniture, $3 billion in house wares or $400 million in tableware that is purchased by engaged couples.  And do these statistics include registry information which are amounts not included in wedding statistics because its not money spent by the couple.  We will have a separate column on gifts and registries later in the fall, but it’s important to note that gifts from registries these days are often in line or greater than the price per person paid by the couple – would these figures therefore warrant separate tabulation?

What is certainly clear is that the wedding industry is a financial force with which to be reckoned and it’s only going to grow.  Next week’s column will provide greater insight into the day to day statistics of weddings, national averages and the danger of following these figures too closely.   And we would be remiss in discussing weddings and entertaining if we did not talk about the astronomical rise in first birthday party fees, home catered events and the sky rocketing costs of holiday events. 

So while Labor Day is not the end of the wedding season – a common misconception (in the north east, September and October are the most popular months of the year to get married) – it is the start of The Real Deal and over time, we hope to provide you with a full arsenal of tools and knowledge to always be prepared regardless of the season.