Bridal Guide Rings in "Engagement Season"
New York, NY, October 01, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The holidays mean wedding engagements—and cause for marketers to celebrate
As the holiday season approaches, so does the annual “engagement season”—that magical time of year between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day when nearly one third of all couples become engaged.
“Weddings take place year ‘round,” says Tom Curtin, publisher of Bridal Guide magazine, “But the holiday season’s focus on home, family and gift-giving makes it the perfect time of year to pop the question.” Adds Curtin, “No matter how the economy is faring, people will keep on getting married, which means that engaged couples essentially make up a recession-resistant audience. It’s vital for marketers to reach this audience when they’re newly engaged and just diving into the wedding planning process.”
Bridal market resilience
Recent surveys conducted by Bridal Guide support the resilience of the bridal market:
- Median spending on wedding gowns has remained virtually unchanged, while selection and quality—not price—are still the top factors in choosing a wedding gown retailer
- 94% of readers have or plan to receive an engagement ring
- “Nesting” is important, with items like fine china, sterling silver, crystal stemware and home linens continuing to top wedding registries
- Traditional wedding-related celebrations continue: Nearly 90% of readers are planning a bridal shower; more than half of readers will have an engagement party; 90% of readers will host a rehearsal dinner
For travel, the outlook is just as rosy:
- 25% of Bridal Guide readers are planning or considering a destination wedding (higher than the national average of 18%)
- Destination weddings include a median of 44 guests who will stay at the wedding destination for 3 nights
- Nearly 96% of Bridal Guide readers plan to go on a honeymoon
- The popularity of bachelor and bachelorette getaways (in lieu of a traditional party) shows noteworthy strength, with nearly one-third of readers planning or considering a celebratory vacation with their friends and bridal party before the wedding
Making the most of engagement season
Bridal Guide and its companion website, bridalguide.com, are uniquely poised to help marketers capture this recession-resistant audience at the peak of engagement season.
With the most readers per copy among all magazines measured by MRI, Bridal Guide reaches not only engaged couples but also the friends and family who influence their wedding and honeymoon decisions. And every issue of Bridal Guide reaches over one million engaged readers—the most valuable audience for wedding and honeymoon marketers. Online, bridalguide.com’s sitewide traffic increased 57% in one year, and referral visits went up more than 100%, a testament to bridalguide.com’s growing importance as a bridal information resource.
Through special programs like the popular Bridal Bests tabletop section and online gallery (bridalguide.com/bridalbests), and long-standing relationships with high-profile travel sponsors like VISIT FLORIDA and the Mexico Tourism Board, Bridal Guide and bridalguide.com offer multiple avenues for reaching the newly engaged. Curtin concludes, “Just like the holidays themselves, engagement season is a time for joy and celebration. We can provide all of our partners and sponsors with great ways to make the most of this special time of year.“
The upcoming January/February 2010 issue closes on October 1st and will hit the newsstand on November 17, just in time for the start of engagement season. The March/April 2010 issue closes on November 20, with an on-sale date of January 19.
About Bridal Guide and bridalguide.com
Six times a year in print and 24/7 on the web, Bridal Guide and bridalguide.com reach millions of brides-to-be with inspiring and practical ways to plan the wedding, honeymoon and new home of their dreams. With the highest pass-along readership of any magazine, Bridal Guide delivers timely, relevant editorial to nearly 4 million readers of each issue, including more than one million engaged readers. Learn more at bridalguide.com.
Sources: Bridal Guide Surveys 2008/2009; MRI Spring 2009
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As the holiday season approaches, so does the annual “engagement season”—that magical time of year between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day when nearly one third of all couples become engaged.
“Weddings take place year ‘round,” says Tom Curtin, publisher of Bridal Guide magazine, “But the holiday season’s focus on home, family and gift-giving makes it the perfect time of year to pop the question.” Adds Curtin, “No matter how the economy is faring, people will keep on getting married, which means that engaged couples essentially make up a recession-resistant audience. It’s vital for marketers to reach this audience when they’re newly engaged and just diving into the wedding planning process.”
Bridal market resilience
Recent surveys conducted by Bridal Guide support the resilience of the bridal market:
- Median spending on wedding gowns has remained virtually unchanged, while selection and quality—not price—are still the top factors in choosing a wedding gown retailer
- 94% of readers have or plan to receive an engagement ring
- “Nesting” is important, with items like fine china, sterling silver, crystal stemware and home linens continuing to top wedding registries
- Traditional wedding-related celebrations continue: Nearly 90% of readers are planning a bridal shower; more than half of readers will have an engagement party; 90% of readers will host a rehearsal dinner
For travel, the outlook is just as rosy:
- 25% of Bridal Guide readers are planning or considering a destination wedding (higher than the national average of 18%)
- Destination weddings include a median of 44 guests who will stay at the wedding destination for 3 nights
- Nearly 96% of Bridal Guide readers plan to go on a honeymoon
- The popularity of bachelor and bachelorette getaways (in lieu of a traditional party) shows noteworthy strength, with nearly one-third of readers planning or considering a celebratory vacation with their friends and bridal party before the wedding
Making the most of engagement season
Bridal Guide and its companion website, bridalguide.com, are uniquely poised to help marketers capture this recession-resistant audience at the peak of engagement season.
With the most readers per copy among all magazines measured by MRI, Bridal Guide reaches not only engaged couples but also the friends and family who influence their wedding and honeymoon decisions. And every issue of Bridal Guide reaches over one million engaged readers—the most valuable audience for wedding and honeymoon marketers. Online, bridalguide.com’s sitewide traffic increased 57% in one year, and referral visits went up more than 100%, a testament to bridalguide.com’s growing importance as a bridal information resource.
Through special programs like the popular Bridal Bests tabletop section and online gallery (bridalguide.com/bridalbests), and long-standing relationships with high-profile travel sponsors like VISIT FLORIDA and the Mexico Tourism Board, Bridal Guide and bridalguide.com offer multiple avenues for reaching the newly engaged. Curtin concludes, “Just like the holidays themselves, engagement season is a time for joy and celebration. We can provide all of our partners and sponsors with great ways to make the most of this special time of year.“
The upcoming January/February 2010 issue closes on October 1st and will hit the newsstand on November 17, just in time for the start of engagement season. The March/April 2010 issue closes on November 20, with an on-sale date of January 19.
About Bridal Guide and bridalguide.com
Six times a year in print and 24/7 on the web, Bridal Guide and bridalguide.com reach millions of brides-to-be with inspiring and practical ways to plan the wedding, honeymoon and new home of their dreams. With the highest pass-along readership of any magazine, Bridal Guide delivers timely, relevant editorial to nearly 4 million readers of each issue, including more than one million engaged readers. Learn more at bridalguide.com.
Sources: Bridal Guide Surveys 2008/2009; MRI Spring 2009
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Contact
Bridal Guide Magazine, RFP LLC
Marianne Bakija
917-338-5811
www.bridalguide.com
Marianne Bakija
917-338-5811
www.bridalguide.com
Contact
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