There’s no such thing as a “cookie cutter” wedding.
Are wedding traditions a thing of the past? It’s a fair question in a world where change is eminent and technology continues to engulf us. To see what’s trending in the wedding business now—from apparel and accessories to parties and pastries—NorthBay biz rounded up a handful of the area’s savviest wedding industry experts. After all, traditions celebrate our past, but trends anticipate our future.
David Janowski of Santa Rosa’s Wine Country Bride and The Wedding Expo, says, “While we’ve watched fads come and go, there are many traditions that have remained in some form, like the bride not wanting to be seen until she walks down the aisle. And while couples may use something other than a traditional, tiered wedding cake [like cupcakes, pie or a dessert bar], usually the bride and groom still symbolically feed each other. Weddings are still, in many ways, traditional.”
Middletown Florist & Gifts owner Tina Chiotti-Stewart, who offers wedding coordination and floral services, speaks of another tradition, “There will always be do-it-yourself brides. It’s been around since day one, for the bride who wants to, and is capable of, planning her own wedding and flowers. But for the majority of the general public, the planning is overwhelming.”
Economic shifts—seismic or scrawny?
Did the economy topple the wedding industry? As much as Wall Street’s views on the economy’s bounce back are split, so, too, are opinions mixed when it comes to measuring its toll.
“The wedding industry isn’t as affected as some others,” says Janowski. “The economy isn’t going to determine whether or not you get married. That being said, though, economic uncertainty can have a chilling effect, whereas a recession or a slow economy doesn’t as much. When people know how ‘bad’ the economy is, they can scale their budget accordingly. But when they’re uncertain, they may choose to simply wait.”
Stewart’s daughter, Tenae, who assists in the business, sees another impact: “When we do the wedding coordination, we enable them to save so much money by helping them pick out what they want and getting it down to their budget. Brides can also save by stepping out of the traditional Saturday event and doing something like a brunch wedding on a Sunday morning.”
Lea Ditson, owner and designer for the Marin-based dress shop, Lea Couture, shares her take: “The economy has played a part from the move from large weddings to small. In the past, there may have been weddings with 200 people, whereas now we see [an average of] 85.”
Janowski echoes the sentiment, “We did see people looking to save money by striking guest count, and this is definitely one way a bride can save. But we’re finding that brides and grooms are covering a good portion of the expense and collaborating with family to make up the rest. Whether it’s involvement of parents or grandparents, or because people are getting married later in life [when they’re more economically stable], the economy isn’t going to stop a bride from planning her dream wedding.”
According to Janowski, an average local wedding can cost upward of $20,000, while destination couples often spend substantially more. He offers a free workshop, called Planning 101, several times each year to help brides prioritize what is most important to them and figure out how to afford it. “Lots of people have wanted to correlate the economy to the wedding industry, but if you look at the numbers, I’m not sure how much that’s happening. We may be seeing less brides flying here now [for destination weddings], but there’s a strong local wedding market, and we’re a locally oriented company.”
In his view, wedding-related transportation has benefited from the economy. “Limo companies that never wanted to do weddings because wine tours were so popular are now doing them. When the wine tours stopped, all the transportation companies wanted in on weddings.”
Stewart also credits the economy for fueling her business, “Because we’re already involved, brides are hiring us to do everything for them, and they’re saving money. The unique economy has helped us.”
While some might race from a new business venture amid a questionable economy, Tracey Page started The Sonoma Photo Booth Company, which rents portable, self-contained photo booths, because of how that niche grew during the downturn. “It was interesting that, when the economy was down, this was an idea that took off. It’s such a novel and compelling service.”
Dare to diversify
No one can argue the economy changed the modern day job search and, it seems, its aftershocks are mandating businesses change as a means of survival. “If you don’t stay up on the newest trends, you’ll be left behind,” says Stewart, whose original foray into the wedding biz came in 1985, crafting one-of-a-kind headpieces. “People would bring in grandma’s antique wedding headpiece and say they wanted to wear it, but it had deteriorated or was damaged. I would then remake it using as much of the original materials as possible. That’s how I got started.” She then shares her first trend-related casualty, “In the early ’90s, Vogue came out with a front cover of a woman in a tiara, and our business went dramatically down because brides suddenly wanted to be ‘a princess for a day.’ They no longer wanted hand-made, rolled roses and ribbons. But that’s all changed again. Today’s bride is her own person and will wear what she wants…trendy or not.” Stewart stayed connected to the industry by expanding into other custom accessories (such as garters and ring bearer pillows). This diversification made the “day of” wedding coordination services she now offers (and credits as one of the bigger trends of the times), a natural evolution.
Stewart, who bought Middletown Florist in 2006, rebranded the store extensively and improved how and where she sourced flowers. She deliberately chose to operate her business in what she dubs “low overhead” Middletown (in Lake County). This move let her pass on substantial savings to her Napa and Sonoma county clients. “Because of the economy, we made a list of all the things we needed to adjust. We basically changed everything, including the decision to no longer have employees.” Stewart continues to run the business with only Tenae’s assistance. “Then we did something most would say was a crazy thing to do. In 2009, we doubled our space to lend us better exposure to the highway. It was the worst time to make an expensive move, but the location was perfect.”
Janowski also chose to expand. Over the course of the Wedding Expo’s eight-year history (it’s held twice annually), the event has grown from 70 wedding vendors to 161 this spring. Janowski, together with his wife, Cirkl, grew the business further when they opened a retail bridal shop, Wine Country Bride in Santa Rosa, three years ago. “We bought the shop because we wanted to create a wedding center for brides to have access to everything in one location.”
The new millennium of trend spotting
Stewart’s daughter notes how the very act of spotting trends has changed as much as the trends themselves. “I’ve been reading bridal magazines all my life. That’s where you’d see all the trends first, but now we see that in blogs. It’s changing how weddings are done.”
Social media and online engagement also affect the industry, “We’re seeing people do all their planning online. But because there are so many options, the bride can be overwhelmed,” says Tenae. “The last couple of years, we’ve spent a lot more time doing research to help the bride figure out what she really wants. Pinterest has been a great tool for this. I create a vision board for each bride and have her pin items she likes and dislikes. It helps me narrow options and it’s an easy way for me to have a more controlled environment.”
Social media isn’t only changing the way wedding planners communicate, it’s also influencing operations. “Because of our Facebook page, we’ve been able to cancel 90 percent of our other advertising,” says Stewart, who relies heavily on word-of-mouth and referrals. Now Facebook does this, whereas five years ago, she relied almost solely on the Yellow Pages.
Your day, your way
While social media is enabling many businesses to thrive, it’s personalization that’s driving the industry. “Brides are trying to make their weddings more individualized and cohesive. We work with them to help make the wedding special for them, with things that no one else will have,” says Tenae.
Ditson sings a similar song, “I’m seeing a trend toward being more individual, which sometimes even includes a theme. I had a bride who wanted to wear cowboy boots with her dress and have the theme of the wedding be more fun, funky and Western.” She sees individualism extend beyond just the realm of fashion. “I did a wedding recently that was on a lake, where the bride and groom entered the ceremony on a boat. There are a lot more creative things going on now.”
From Janowski’s perspective, it’s all about the relationship, “People are trying to personalize the wedding to who they are and to represent their relationship. For example, we had one couple who were big hikers. The places where they held the ceremony and reception were far enough apart that they could hike from one to the other. Guests were given a water bottle and bag of trail mix. It’s not the idea that matters; it’s the personalization.”
Page credits personalization and technology as key drivers behind the boom of her photo booth business, “There’s a green screen component that can replace the traditional photo booth back curtain. After taking photos of the guests in front of a green curtain, the green background is automatically replaced with a new background image, which can be customized to anything the client likes, such as an exotic location, favorite photograph, company logo or even a photo of the bride and groom. Guests really get a kick out of interacting with these images.” She also offers other specialized touches. “Many brides arechoosingto usephoto stripsas a wedding favor. Guests can take home their personalized photo strip by itself or packaged with a frame or bookmark with a customized message. It’s amemorable, fun keepsake.
“One of the most popular trends is the wedding photo strip guest book,” she continues. “It includes a copy of each photo strip with a personal message from their guest, and is custom created for the bride and groom during the reception.”
Tenae sees the impact on fashion, “With so many different options and resources, it’s no longer necessary to be trendy. There’s no one dress that everyone wants.” For Stewart, it’s not just a trend, it’s a cornerstone of the operation. “Personal touches can get lost with a ‘ballroom wedding.’ People come to us because we get to give them the personalized attention they deserve. When someone calls or emails with a question, I say, ‘I’ll have my daughter call you.’ It’s so personalized. We used to hear ‘I don’t want a cookie-cutter wedding.’ Now I tell them no such thing exists. Their personality is going to make their wedding unique.” Themes are another area of growth. “They’re becoming popular, especially circus and carnival—but those can be really bad or really cool. It’s important to find that line. If you have a theme, you should have a planner,” says Tenae.
An interactive affair
Music has always been a mainstay source of entertainment with DJs, bands and, for today’s DIY brides—iPods. But the face of entertainment may be changing. “People are trying to create more interactive experiences,” says Janowski. “Photo booths at weddings are fun and interactive. So now it’s become entertainment that you can use in many different ways.”
It’s that notion that drew Page into the business. “Traditional photography and video are essential to capturing the beauty of an event that’s been meticulously planned. What a photo booth brings is entirely different. It adds entertainment and a fun dynamic. What I’m seeing is couples who want to provide their guests with something fun. A photo booth inspires improv—that’s the entertainment aspect.”
Her company extends the realm of interactivity further: “Our booth has a video feature, so guests can leave a message for the bride and groom. This captures some hilarious outtakes, which everyone seems to love.”
The interactive approach is even making its way into food choices, “We’ve learned that you can also create entertainment through food,” says Janowski. “Brides want more variety. There will always be the tradition of cake—it’s a symbol of how sweet your love and marriage is. The symbolism is still there, but modified to make the experience more like entertainment. We’re seeing a lot more dessert buffets and cupcakes with a small cake [for the couple].”
Tenae sees a similar pattern, “A trend that seems to be sticking around is dessert buffets and bars of all types: hot chocolate bars, martini bars. The idea is to have an activity. Guests can decorate their cupcakes or sundaes. It gives them something interactive do to beside drinking and dancing.”
Let freedom reign
In a land where farm-to-table reigns and reception wines actually need to taste good, wedding food is no longer just about eating. “Food is getting to be more and more important,” says Tenae. “It’s become about choosing foods that are important to the bride and groom, whether that’s heritage breed meats, comfort food or even integrating family recipes or hiring a favorite restaurant or first date spot to cater a wedding. Food has become more a part of the bride and groom’s story than simply a meal.”
Kelly Haffner, manager of Wine Country Bride, notices a derivation on the traditional dinner hour. “We’re seeing midnight surprise meals, mini-dinners and taco trucks outside offering guests last-minute meals to-go [after the reception]. It creates an after-party experience. About a year ago, we also started seeing brides hiring celebrity chefs to do the food at weddings. Locally, we have so many. It takes the whole farm-to-table experience one step further for couples where food is the most important thing.”
A peek into the crystal ball
As we speak of the past and reflect forward into the future, no roundup would be complete without mention of Napa County; though the “official” word on weddings remains largely unchanged. The Winery Definition Ordinance (WDO) was enacted in 1990 to protect Napa Valley’s Agricultural Preserve by, among other things, prohibiting social and cultural events at wineries unless directly related to marketing or wine education. More than two decades later, the WDO continues to limit weddings (and related events) in Napa Valley. Only a select few wineries, like V. Sattui, are protected by a grandfather clause and thereby able to host weddings.
The only significant movement on the ordinance came in spring 2010, when the Napa County Board of Supervisors adopted amendments at the recommendation of the Napa Valley Vintners in association with the Napa County Farm Bureau, Napa Valley Grapegrowers and the Winegrowers of Napa County. While the amendments offered more flexibility in terms of marketing, the wedding-related clauses remain unchanged. Napa Valley Vintners Government Relations Director Rex Stults speaks to the importance of the ordinance: “We’re a really small valley and place. We’ve been able to maintain agriculture at the highest and best use, despite being in the Bay Area and surrounded by development. Some say we’re the crown jewel in preserving agricultural land.” He concludes, “The status quo for the WDO and land use policy is working well for the Napa Valley wine industry.”
While the status quo may have worked for the ordinance up until now, rumblings over the past several months (specifically around the 75-percent rule and the grandfathered wineries that are exempt from the stipulation, that all new production of wine within the county be comprised of at least 75 percent Napa Valley grapes), indicate that it may no longer be a reality.
Though debates have and will likely continue to thunder over an ordinance that some have crowned the key to a Disneyland-free Napa Valley, there’s one fairytale that’s destined to live on—the coming and going of wedding-related trends—which are always bound to change, revert and redefine themselves.
