A recent survey undertaken by Bridesbook.co.uk of over 3,000 Wedding Suppliers from all over Britain indicates that the Wedding Industry is optimistic about 2010.
More than half of all Wedding Suppliers surveyed said they felt increasingly positive about the prospects for their own businesses, and nearly 70 per cent were positive about growth within the industry in general.
There is no denying that, thanks to the credit crunch, the last year has been tough by anyone’s standards, and the Bridesbook.co.uk survey agrees with this as more than 50 per cent of all replies stated this year was financially worse than 2008.
A contributing factor to the tough trading conditions was that Brides and Grooms were looking for deeper discounts than ever. The survey indicated that 65 per cent of all suppliers had been approached to reduce their prices.
The survey does not indicate whether fewer couples were getting married in 2009, although 52 per cent of suppliers were involved with fewer weddings. In total however this means that over 47 per cent had either seen no change or had attracted more business than last year.
As with all things, there were still some exceptional performances as 28 per cent of Wedding Suppliers had seen their businesses grow over the last twelve months and 16 per cent saw no financial impact on their bottom line. In fact overall, 55 per cent of suppliers had seen no decline in the average spend on the wedding services they provide.
One of Bridesbook.co.uk's 'Ask The Expert' panel members, Julia Munday from Perfect Day Bridal stated "It was a tough start to 2009, but I have just recorded excellent October sales figures and I feel confident and excited, not just for Bridalwear, but the entire Wedding Industry as a whole."