The Knot Real Weddings Study Webinar Recap: What Pros Need to Know

As a wedding pro, one of the top questions that should be on your mind is, “What do couples in the midst of wedding planning really want?” This million-dollar question is something that The Knot Worldwide strives to answer so pros and couples alike can get a sense of what’s on the horizon for the upcoming wedding season. This year, we surveyed over 15,000 couples who were married between January 1 and December 31, 2021, and asked them about every aspect of their wedding planning. After compiling and organizing all of this information, the results are finally in!

Not only have we published a vendor-specific look at this data, but we also held a virtual seminar with Lauren Goodson, Senior Director of Insights at The Knot Worldwide. The chat, 2021 Insights Report: What to Know About Today’s Couples, goes into so much detail about what pros need to know about what couples are looking for, so definitely check that out, but if you’re looking for a TL;DR, continue reading to get some of the highlights from this interesting conversation.

Weddings are trending back to ‘normal’

94% of weddings planned took place in 2021, while 5% delayed their event and 1% canceled altogether. This is a stark contrast from 2020, when over half of weddings needed to be rescheduled or shifted in some capacity. This points to things getting back on track and trending to pre-pandemic numbers.

Additionally, wedding costs are bumping back up to reflect numbers we’ve seen in the past. For example, the average cost for a 2021 wedding was $28,000 (the same as in 2019) and, interestingly, the cost per guest exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with couples spending an average of $266 per guest. Additionally, we saw the average number of vendors hired increase to 14 (from 12 in 2020). 

Travel is back on the rise

In 2020, couples who went ahead with their weddings were more likely to marry in one of their hometowns. In 2021, however, two in 10 couples had a destination wedding (defined as one held in a location other than where they currently live or grew up). Additionally, more couples (73%) opted for honeymoons this year, a 17% increase from 2020.

Wedding planning is done mostly online

This past year, couples who didn’t postpone their weddings were engaged for an average of 14 months, and in that time, they planned their nuptials online. In fact, 89% of wedding planning is done online. So, make sure your website, Storefronts, social media channels and all your other platforms are updated and ready for couples to view and interact with.

Pro tip: Are you advertising your business on The Knot and WeddingWire, where couples are actively planning their weddings? If not, let’s change that. Talk to our team today.

TikTok usage is on the rise

Couples are very likely to follow pros on social media–especially Millennials (89%) and Gen-Zers (75%). TikTok is growing rapidly in popularity and usage, especially among younger couples. In 2021, 27% of Gen Z individuals used social media for wedding-related content. If you’re revamping your social media presence, you may benefit from starting to use TikTok to engage with your audience. Consumers are drawn to authenticity and a genuine creator, and since that’s how you should be framing your content anyway, joining this channel may be a natural next step.

Pro tip: If you’re a small business owner, be sure to read our Social Media Guide for small businesses to learn how to create exciting and engaging content without spending a lot of time or money.

Couples are making their cultural and ethnic traditions a priority

In 2021, 36% of couples included an element of their cultural or ethnic heritage in their ceremony or reception. And this is likely to rise as more members of Gen Z get married in the coming years. Gen-Z is the most diverse generation that we’ve seen, and because nearly half of them have diverse backgrounds, they are more likely to showcase that in their weddings.

Couples are interested in sustainability

Sustainability has been a topic of conversation in the wedding industry for a number of years, but it’s increasingly a top priority for couples. Nearly 70% of couples said they are making some effort to incorporate sustainable or eco-friendly options into their wedding. The top way we saw couples doing that was by buying second-hand decor or upcycling items.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! You’ll find more information about these insights and more, including what they mean for your business as you head into the upcoming wedding season and beyond, in our seminar, 2021 Insights Report: What to Know About Today’s Couples. Be sure to check it out soon so you can prepare your business for the busiest wedding season yet!

Photo Credit: OlegBlokhin / Shutterstock.com