Are Couples Still Getting Married?

A San Antonio wedding photographer’s take on the current state of the wedding industry

For those of you not following wedding news, you might not be aware that the industry is in a bit of a slump right now. Speaking to my fellow vendors, it seems like all of us are hurting for customers these days. So, are couples still getting married? In today’s blog post, I am turning to the internet to get some real answers. Here are my findings that hopefully will prove – or disprove – all of the anecdotal evidence about the state of marriage in America.

It’s the Economy, Stupid

The wedding industry rides on the back of the current economic forecast, so unfortunately, we first need to deal with the elephant in the room: inflation.

Per a June 12^th article on Bankrate.com, the current inflation rate is 3.3%, and consumer prices have risen by 20.8% since February 2020. No, it’s not your imagination: this is a startingly high rate. But to give you some comparative context, inflation rose 32.4% in the 1990s.

Here are some key statistics to keep in mind (USAFacts.org):

The US domestic product (GDP) increased by 2.5% in 2023
The Federal Reserve raised interest rates four times in 2023 and raised the target rate to between 5.25% to 5.50% in late July 2023
Inflation has decreased to a current rate of 3.4% from a high of 9.1% last year (NPR.org)
In May, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers was unchanged, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.3 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent in May (SA); up 3.4 percent over the year (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Workers’ average hourly earnings were up 4% in December 2023 compared to a year prior. However, when accounting for inflation, it was less than 1%.
The labor force participation rate was 62.5% in January 2024, up 0.1 percentage points over January 2023.

So, if jobs are still plentiful, the economy is relatively strong, and inflation has actually receded since the pandemic, why do we all still feel so poor?

Fact vs. Feeling

The reason for the inflationary fact versus feeling is that people have not forgotten prices from a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, high prices are here to stay or else the economy runs the risk of deflation.

Instead, we have to be satisfied with prices increasing at a slower rate. But all of this doesn’t help the fact that we personally feel overburdened by costs. And if you feel like you can’t pay your current bills, then adding the expense of a wedding is probably not in the cards right now.

Bust After Boom: The Years After Covid

We also need to address the fact that we are definitely living in a post-Covid era now. To explain: just after the pandemic, couples were rushing to the altar in droves. I personally saw more business in 2021 and 2022 then I have in the three years prior to Covid combined. It seems that the forced cohabitation of quarantine resulted in many marriage proposals. And once churches were allowed to marry people again, the floodgates opened.

Again, here are the statistics:

Provisional number of marriages in the United States (CDC.gov)

2018: 2,132,853 or 6.5%
2019: 2,015,603 or 6.1%
2020: 1,676,911 or 5.1%
2021: 1,985,072 or 6.0%
2022: 2,065,905 or 6.2%

The survey compiled by the CDC has not been updated from 2023 onwards. But it feels like society has taken a definite slide downwards in terms of the number of weddings. However, until the survey is updated again, there is – statistically, speaking – no way to officially declare that marriage is dead. Sure, less people tied the knot in 2022 vs. 2018, but 2% more of the population still decided to get married than in 2021. Are we perhaps even on an upward trajectory?

One Jeweler’s Prediction

The one statement held on to by everyone in the wedding industry was published this year by Signet Jewelers. Signet, in case you do not recognize the name, is the company that owns Kay, Jared, and Zales jewelers. The company has a 9.7% market share in the jewelry store business, according to Bloomberg.

This year Signet Jewelers predicts a significant increase in engagements. As proof of the company’s reliability in predicting the market, Signet is on record as having said in 2022 that the jewelry industry would experience a recession three years after the pandemic. Signet attributes this to the fact that, according to their records, it takes on average 3.25 years for a couple to go from meeting to a walk down the aisle.

The company’s revenue decline have proven this statement to be true. Signet states that their statistics show only 2.2 million Americans became engaged in 2023. In comparison, 2.8 million Americans got engaged annually on average in the years prior to Covid (Fortune Magazine).

But more positive days supposedly lie ahead, and 2024 will mark three years since the end of Covid. In the same December 2023 Fortune Magazine article, Signet CEO Gina Drosos said that she expects business to pick up again.

As with the CDC statistics, we are still waiting on results before coming to a conclusion. Signet Jewelers revenue reports continue to track downwards, going from a high of $7.987 billion in annual sales in 2022 to the current Q1 2024 revenue of $7.015 billion. Despite all the optimism from Drosos, a June 13, 2024 article by Barron’s same-store sales in Q1 2024 fell 8.9%, which is 8.1% worse than the decline previously predicted by analysts. Still, I should note that that the Q1 2024 revenue numbers were greatly improved over the 13.9% drop in revenue from last year’s same quarter report.

The Wedding Industry as Viewed by This Photographer

Without concrete evidence that there are actually less people getting married, I can only tell you what it feels like on the ground. First, it seems that the size and feel of weddings has fundamentally changed. Elopements are rising in popularity, and fewer couples are opting for a 150-250 guest count ‘blowout’ event. It appears that many clients are simply not indulging in the wedding fanfare as before.

Likewise, while it was normal in the pre-Covid era for clients to contact a wedding photographer a year prior to their event, now inquiries are coming in much closer to the time of the event. We are talking even two weeks ahead of the wedding date.

To put this in perspective, most wedding photographers are traditionally contacted at the initial stages of event planning. The standard timeline is to book a venue, and then book a photographer. Additionally, most wedding photography inquiries come during the holiday season, from Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day.

But that didn’t happen in 2023. Getting an email two weeks before a wedding indicates that the couple was seriously considering not having a photographer, or simply that photography was not at the top of the event planning priority list.

One final thing to consider is, again, cost. During the Covid boom years, many photographers and vendors increased their prices. (Note: I did not.) These inflated prices now look crazy expensive in light of the perceived inflationary pressure. As such, it seems that many couples have decided to delay or downsize their wedding plans.

Where Is the Marriage Market Headed?

Marriage is an institution as old as the invention of the wheel. People have been getting married for centuries, and will continue to do so. Furthermore, there will always be brides who want the wedding of a lifetime and will orchestrate spectacular events to amaze Instagram eyeballs far and wide.

For the mainstay of the marriage-minded, however, the bloom is off the rose for weddings that hog the limelight. Instead, couples are opting for events – and not just weddings – that are truly personalized.

The idea that you have to have the same style of wedding that your parents did is old-fashioned. Couples are personalizing every aspect of their life. This is leading to a trend towards smaller, more intimate affairs. Why just get married, when you can throw a cool party for you and your closest friends? Think ‘No’ to the 200-person wedding at the local Methodist Church, and ‘Yes’ to a gathering of your 14 besties on a beach in Miami.

Money doesn’t go as far as it once did, and the newest generation is strapped for cash around every corner. The idea of blowing a huge amount of money on photography is not given a second thought. This is why elopements and smaller events has become so popular. Couples want to throw a truly unique event, but can only afford a guest count of 50 people. And if you dream of one day buying a house, you are definitely not going to first spend thousands of dollars on your wedding. It all just makes sense.

So maybe it’s not a matter of less weddings, but instead smaller weddings in our future. Personally, I do think we are out of the woods, and that proposals will continue to increase in 2024. But perhaps couples will be doing so with an heirloom ring or a unique, artisan ring bought at a local shop. This would account for the slow sales at Signet. Again, it all just makes sense.

How I Am Adapting: New Wedding Package

Elopements are definitely here to stay, and so am I. In looking over my wedding package offerings, it was clear that I need to provide an ‘in between’ package that speaks to this segment of the market.

Let me start by saying that my price point has always been mid-range. I have not raised my prices since 2019. My ‘Classic Novel’ package is by far my most popular at $3,750. This is within the average price for wedding photography with an experienced photographer ($3-$5,000). This package includes ten hours of coverage with one photographer (me!) and a two-hour engagement session.

I also provide photography at an hourly rate of $400. But for most couples, it is a big jump from hourly coverage to the ‘Classic Novel’ package.

As such, I have now created an ‘Elopement Essay’ package that includes three hours of photography for $999. This is a savings of $201 when compared to the hourly rate for the same amount of time. Three hours of coverage is the perfect option if all you need photographed is your ceremony, portraits, plus a bit of your reception. When you need less, you should pay for less.

To celebrate the start of this new package, I am happy to announce that I am offering a free, one-hour engagement session in downtown San Antonio with the purchase of every ‘Elopement Essay’ package. No matter what your photography needs, I ‘ve got you covered. So, drop me a line and let’s chat. You’ve been engaged forever – it’s time to finally say ‘I do.’

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If you found this article on ‘Are Couples Still Getting Married?’ useful, then check out these articles:

Are you interested in saying ‘I do’ in San Antonio? Drop me a line and let’s chat about how I can help you. I have hourly rates, and all photo shoots include editing and high-resolution files.

To view more images from my wedding photography portfolio, please visit my website – KellyWilliamsPhotographer.com