Since I am getting married in May, I have become prey to the money pit I used to make fun of – Bridal Magazines. Not only do many of my friends give them to me as gifts, newlyweds offer me their back issues, and for some unknown reason I cannot pass one at Lowe’s Foods without adding it to my basket. This does not include the stacks my mother and future mother-in-law have on their coffee tables. It’s truly compulsive.
In planning my wedding, I have found them very useful. Not only was I able to get ideas for my dress, but I also used them as sources for pictures I could bring my florist and other vendors to give them an idea of what my fiancé and I liked. On top of thousands of pictures of dresses in an equally astounding number of shades of white (who knew there was ivory, champagne, bright white, candlelight and light white – I thought there was just one white), there are many useful articles about how to deal with issues like pesky in-laws, awkward “plus-one” conversations, budgeting tools, and plenty of advertisements for honeymoon packages. All of these things are to be expected when browsing a wedding magazine and are very useful for the bride-to-be when planning her special day.
To my surprise, the back cover of almost every issue of Brides has an advertisement from Cartier or Tiffany’s for engagement rings. This was surprising to me since I didn’t receive or purchase my first issue until I had a ring on my finger. I would have understood advertising for wedding bands or bridal jewelry, but engagement rings? This made me think.
Top, high-end jewelry brands like Cartier and Tiffany’s would not shell out the cash for such prime real estate like the back cover if every girl (and her mother), who bought these already had a rock on her left hand. I would love to get my hands on the statistics on readership for these magazines. How many are planning their big day with their grooms and how many are day dreaming about when prince charming will ride in on his white horse, little light blue box in hand? The number of readers who are not engaged has to be sizeable.
This got me thinking, is there an opportunity for a magazine devoted to younger girls who may not have met Mr. Right quite yet, but are already busy planning their weddings? Or maybe they have a steady boyfriend and are just counting the days until he drops down onto one knee? Would they buy this “not quite yet a bride” magazine or be too embarrassed to be classified as “that girl” that every young gentleman would run away from - screaming? Would they use a more discreet online tool instead?
According to a recent survey by The Knot, the cost of the average wedding is almost $28,000. While we’ve all heard the statistics on opulent weddings like the recent Kardashian extravaganza, it still seems astonishing to me that in the recent economic climate that the average wedding is $28,000. With Daddies laying out this much cash, wouldn’t it be good if his little princess knew what she wanted and what her parents could afford before she even gets close to the altar? Maybe if she knew the cost differences between hydrangeas and calla lilies she can be a savvier shopper when it comes time to interview her first florist? I know that in some of my planning, I have felt overwhelmed in the amount of choices and wished I had known more about things like how to hire a videographer and what is a reasonable quote.
I’m not sure. I can’t say that I never looked at wedding dresses with friends online before I was engaged, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have subscribed to a pre-engagement planning tool or a “Hey, you’re not a bride yet, but you want to be” Magazine. However, I think there are a lot of young women that would. I wonder if that segment’s needs are being met by the countless bridal magazines that are currently out there? Perhaps similarly to getting a training bra before you Mom ever takes you to a department store to get your first bra, there should be a magazine for those that are just trying to drop hints on ring sizes, shapes, and styles and day dream about the day that they’ll have to decide if they want a cathedral or a fingertip veil?
Christina Waxlax
Great observation/blog post! While I, too, resisted buying my first wedding magazine until I was actually engaged (didn't want to jinx it!), I did have a couple thoughts on this...
ReplyDelete1. I had no qualms about reading other people's wedding magazines before I got engaged! While I would never have bought one for myself, I was thrilled when a friend got engaged and gave me the opportunity to flip through her bridal magazines under the disguise of "helping her look for ideas," when I was really just looking for myself. These advertisers must realize that they're reaching an audience of more than just the bride-to-be... they're also reaching a hand full of her closest friends, who are likely in the right age-range and some of which are surely not yet engaged. The perfect target audience for that engagement ring ad!
2. While you and I resisted buying that magazine, I know plenty of girls who had no problem buying bridal magazines before their man popped the question. In fact, I'm pretty sure my friend's roommate was using it as a tool - she left the magazines lying all over her apartment, and I'm convinced they were shamelessly intended as little reminders to her boyfriend (now fiance) every time he came over. And the back cover is the perfect engagement ring ad placement space for this purpose!
Thanks for sharing this observation. I never realized Tiffany's was so on to me until now!
I would definitely be a sucker for the 'not quite a bride' magazine. Under no circumstances should there be a bridal gown on the cover though because that let's the world and my partner know I'm a little obsessed.
ReplyDeleteI however, did, and still do have a subscription to TheKnot online that is about 5-6 years old by now. I am nowhere close to married but I love weddings and I love the thought of the whole thing, but I've never purchased a bridal magazine. I don't have any qualms about checking out someone else's though; perhaps that's why they advertise on the back page.
I'm also a super duper pre-planner, with that in mind, TheKnot's website was perfect. It allowed me to make a budget and a timeline, it gave a frame of reference for what I was/am certain I will need to know in the future.
So when that time comes and a wedding planner says, "to get everything you want it will cost you $50K"; I can whip out my budget that has been fine tuned over the last almost decade and yell. "HA! I can get it for 30 - Don't B.S. me!"
Marielle des Etages
I think there is a definitely a market for these magazines. Marielle mentioned theKnot.com above, and I think that site on some levels fills the wedding planning need or fun in younger girls not yet at the engagement or bride stage. A magazine dedicated to this market could definitely flourish. It makes sense from the cost side too - if you have the fairytale in mind, and maybe not the fairytale budget, maybe you should earlier than engagement time what weddings really cost. This could help girls better plan their days and also ensure they get a nice version of the wedding of their dreams.
ReplyDeleteBridget Wilson
Like Marielle, I also had a theknot account several years ago--although while getting ahead of the current position in a particular relationship. For me, as soon as the word marriage came up in the relationship, it was almost as though permission were granted to commence looking at all the bridal magazines, sites, etc that to that point were subconsciously forbidden from my bookshelf and browser. At that point, rings were just becoming a topic of discussion, but in my mind, I was already planning the whole event out. I imagine if it had worked out, I would have been the ideal target for a Tiffany's or Cartier ad. I think when it comes to weddings, so many girls growing up fantasized about the idea of them, that we jump at the first legit chance we have to actually "be allowed" to become a consumer in the bridal planning segment--even if it's a little too soon. It's as though after all of those days we spent pretending to be a princess, someone has handed us a real tiara and given us full reign to rule the kingdom before the old monarch retires.
ReplyDelete