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Business Pulse
A Joyous Occasion They May Not Cry but Weddings Make Business Owners Happy by Heidi Henken It all starts with a mere $55, paid to the county auditor for a marriage license, good anywhere in the State of Washington. But like pennies dropped in a pond, that $55 per bride and groom sets off a ripple effect that accounts for an estimated $18 million to $25 million, or more, in wedding-related dollars spent in Whatcom County every year. That number comes from the estimated average cost of a wedding in this county. Professional wedding consultant Denice Welch of Bellingham says the average cost probably runs between $15,000 to $20,000 for a total wedding budget, multiplied by the average number of wedding licenses issued annually in this county from 1993 through 2000. It doesn’t include dollars spent by gay and lesbian ceremonies, which are not included in license statistics, but which also represent a small percentage of related revenue for the same businesses which supply traditional weddings, although no one has figures on how much. The number of marriage licenses issued in Whatcom County is around 1,200 each year, sometimes more and sometimes less. The most recent complete numbers available are for 2000, when the county issued 1,190 licenses. In 1999, just prior to the millennium new year, 1,280 were issued. Through September, the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office had issued 1,063 licenses in 2001. Taking a look at a study published by Bride’s Magazine in 1997, this county appears to mirror national averages for wedding spending. In 1997, Bride’s reported that nationally the average cost of a wedding was $19,104 for a wedding with five bridesmaids, including the maid of honor, and 200 wedding guests. This was up from the 1990 average of $15,208, but so was the average number of guests, which that year was 171. That’s consistent with what Welch is seeing in the business. “I’m finding the bigger weddings are coming back,” she notes. While most of the weddings she currently coordinates still average 100 to 150 guests, Welch has been noticing guest lists beginning to creep toward the 200 to 300 mark more often than in previous years. Welch, who typically handles high-end weddings, is also seeing a lot of out-of-area wedding dollars being spent in Whatcom County. Settings such as Resort Semiahmoo in Blaine and Bellingham’s Hotel Bellwether are becoming popular with couples from Seattle and beyond. Welch estimates 60 percent of the weddings she coordinates at Semiahmoo are for Seattle area or out-of-state brides. These are also generally bigger budget weddings costing $30,000 to $50,000 overall and bringing in from 50 percent to 80 percent of their guests from out-of-town. Often, they are what Welch calls “destination weddings,” lasting several days or over a weekend so the couple and their guests can spend more time together in a special setting. While the national wedding spending averages were based upon five bridesmaids, four tends to be the average in Whatcom County, according to Pam Needham, owner of Alicia’s Bridal Shoppe, and Jennifer Leigh, owner of Jennifer Leigh Bridal Couture, both in Bellingham. However, the trend Leigh has noticed with the wedding clients she serves has been a move toward smaller weddings with one attendant each for the bride and groom, held either at home or in local hotels or smaller locations. Leigh is known for her wedding veils, designed by her and made locally. The gowns her boutique features are designed in San Francisco. Locally, brides spend about $500 for a gown, $200 for a veil, $200 for hair jewelry, $175 for each bridesmaid dress, and $100 for shoes at Leigh’s store in Fairhaven. Needham, whose shop specializes in wedding attire, estimate the average amount spent for all clothing, including shoes, locally runs about $2,600. That includes four bridesmaids and mothers of the bride and groom. The average price her customers usually spend for a wedding gown is around $650. However, she notes that at this year’s Bridal Inspirations Wedding Expo, set Jan. 6 at the Best Western Lakeway Inn in Bellingham, there will be a large bridal gown sale, similar to ones offered at bigger wedding shows. The wedding show sale will offer brides a chance to save on the cost of their gowns. The 9th-annual Wedding Expo, including a fashion show and more than 40 wedding-related businesses, will be presented from noon to 5 p.m. The admission cost is $8. For more information, call 733-2563.
Preserving the moment Wedding pictures account for 11 percent to 25 percent of professional photographers’ business locally, according to Donnie Rubenack, owner of Donette Studio, and Jeanne McGee, co-owner and photographer for The Art of Photography, both in Bellingham. Rubenack estimates that Donette Studio shoots between 45 and 55 weddings each year, and that couples tend to spend between $2,000 and $4,000 on wedding photos. McGee estimates their average is around $2,300. While Rubenack’s studio style uses newer digital techniques and McGee favors traditional film photography, both note that the trend in wedding photos is for couples to choose a mixture of standard formal shots and a “photojournalistic” or more candid style of visual remembrance. Then there are the rings. Mary Harding, graduate gemologist for G.B. Heron Fine Jewelry, estimates that 60 percent of its business comes from weddings. The local average for an engagement ring with a diamond and a wedding band runs around $2,000 to $3,000, say Harding and Karen Barniol, also of G.B. Heron. Jewelry trends Harding is seeing in wedding rings are being influenced by the Japanese and Germans. Platinum, white gold and even titanium have become popular wedding ring metals, she notes. And the latest thing from Japan and Germany is the emergence of the men’s or “gent’s” engagement ring. Many young women are now buying engagement rings for their future spouses, she says. Floral trends for local weddings tend to be “more sophisticated, more sedate,” says Janice Oberg Barrett, owner of Belle Flora Inc. (formerly Red Top Floral) in downtown Bellingham. The cost of wedding flowers averages between $800 to $1,000 locally, she estimates. That includes attendants, church flowers, the bridal bouquet, decorations, corsages and boutonnieres. If there is a reception in a separate building, which needs additional flowers, she adds, “then it’s more.” The pavé look is popular locally, Barrett notes. That’s the closely gathered cluster bouquet of all one kind of flower such as roses, lilies, tulips or freesias, with the stems exposed and tied with a ribbon. Also, darker, jewel-tone colors like eggplant and dark burgundy have become popular for weddings, she adds.
Eat, drink and be merry The food budget is large part of a typical wedding budget, according to Gail Walker, co-owner of Bellingham-based Emerald Bay Events. She estimates that catering, the event facility, the bar, the tent, and service staff — “anything that goes along with feeding people” — can represent as much as 60 percent of a wedding budget. Average food costs for Whatcom County weddings run in the neighborhood of $5,000 to $7,500, Walker estimates. Approximately 30 percent of Emerald Bay’s revenue comes from weddings. Walker says it is seeing a trend toward more formal weddings with bands instead of disc jockeys, elegant halls instead of tents, and sit-down dining. “A lot of the boomer kids are getting married,” says Walker. “(They) have been raised in a more influential lifestyle than previously, so we’re seeing a rise in the amount of money that’s being spent on weddings, in the last five or six years.” Has there been an increase in numbers of weddings since Sept. 11? That has been hard to prove. Some merchants interviewed have noticed a small increase in activity, while others haven’t. What has been more noticeable, they say, seems to be an emphasis on family gathering and an appreciation of what it means to have family together. |
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