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 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, and light white – I thought there was just 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 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 sizable.
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? Would they buy this 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?
Bride-to-be,
Christina Waxlax
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