Destination Weddings: Big Business

The business of Destination Weddings has been in the news quite a bit lately - I have conducted media interviews within the past week alone on the topic with Bloomberg Business News, USA Weekend Magazine [circulation 45 million] and AARP [circ. 50 million] and WeddingChannel.com! 

Here are a few links to some of the most recent and insightful pieces on this continuing *hot* trend in the wedding industry and the shifting behaviors of consumers:

USA Weekend Magazine: "Saying 'I Do' in the Caribbean"

Associated Press: "Destination Weddings Keep Guest List Down"

Hawaii Star Bulletin: "Wedding Bells Ring More Quietly"

Savannah Morning News: "Couples to Savannah: I Do!"

As a matter of fact, I am in Grand Cayman this week helping to host, tour and meet with the owners of high end destination wedding planning firm LUXE Destination Weddings - and they are reporting that their business is stronger than ever before! 

Photo: Grand Cayman Wedding by the amazing Rebecca Davidson

From CNN: "I Do For Less"

engage1to1 "Super Sessions" with Sean Low

Really thrilled to 'officially' announce a program that we have been unofficially offering for many months now.  A joint engage1to1 'super session' with none other than the brilliant Sean Low, President of Preston Bailey Designs and creative business consultant.  

We have been offering a very limited number of engage1to1 sessions {phone, in-person and super sessions} since last summer and have really enjoyed this intimate, interactive and high-impact opportunity to work directly with some of the wedding industry's leaders on taking their businesses to imaginative new heights.  

Sean and I have collaborated closely in various business ventures for almost 4 years now and spend time each week discussing the wedding industry and the massive amounts of opportunity for growth at every level - even in this challenging economy. He has participated in both initial engage events and is a featured speaker for engage09 in June by POPULAR demand.  His blog has quickly become a 'must read' and he has taken Twitter by storm with his spot-on insights and thought provoking commentary on the state of your business in the current economic environment.

I am so honored to be offering this very special, limited series of engage1to1's with Sean.  They are an intense 8-hour session totally focused on YOU and your business potential and growth -- from a marketing/big picture point of view and a straight forward business standpoint.

For additional information, availability, options and cost please contact our office at engage@engagingconcepts.com or call 407.566.2298.  We look forward to working with some of the industry's brightest talents and businesses to explore new and exciting potential and growth!

BridaLuxe :: Affiliate Marketing for Wedding Pros

Through Twitter I have recently learned about BridaLuxe, a new niche affiliate marketing network for the wedding industry.  This blog is not a b2c entity so it would not make sense for us to sign on but for many of you out there in wedding-world it just might be an interesting option to monetize your site or blog {only if appropriate and relevant to your content and growth strategy of course!}.

Would love to hear any feedback from those of you who sign up or have been working with them.  In this economy, creating divergent streams of  'passive' income is a smart business strategy as long as it aligns with your brand.  BridaLuxe appears to be headed in the right direction - time will tell!

From WSJ: "The Grim Forecast for 2009 Wedding Spending"

This just in from The Wall Street Journal::

"Bridal shopping season is just around the corner, following the bump in engagements that happens on Valentine’s Day. But this year, designers of wedding gowns and accessories are expected to take a hit. Sales of wedding gowns in the U.S. are expected to decrease 2.8% this year, compared with 2008, to reach $973 million, according to a new projection by Los Angeles-based market-research firm IBISWorld, which compiles its estimates based on reports from retailers’ and manufacturers’ industry groups. While the sales drop isn’t as large as the 4.2% decrease the wedding dress category saw in 2008, it represents a continuing decline in an area that had seen steady growth since at least 2001, says Toon van Beeck, a senior industry anylyst for IBISWorld.

He notes that the average amount spent on a wedding is expected to drop 8% in 2009 to reach $20,000—just two years ago, in 2007, the average amount that a couple spent on a wedding was $30,000.

“This year, the economy will play a big role” in wedding planning, Mr. van Beeck says, predicting that wedding spending will also likely be affected by couples who postpone their plans “so the ceremony can be done when the financial time is right.”

Other areas of the industry that are expected to take a hit include engagement rings and the hiring of wedding planners. Couples getting married in 2009 are expected to spend $785 million on hiring wedding planners, representing a decrease of 4.2% from the 2008 figure, Mr. van Beeck says. In 2008, the drop in spending on wedding planners was only 1.7%, he says. “Many of the 2008 weddings were already booked and paid for,” he says. But “for 2009, people were able to mitigate this cost, hence the steeper decline.”

There is, however, one small bright spot in the wedding industry business: Rentals. For several years, spending on wedding gown rentals had held steady at about $40 million each year. This year, however, spending on rented gowns is expected to rise 7.5% to reach $43 million."

Sean's Blog

Finally!!  The brilliant Sean Low, President of Preston Bailey Designs has started a blog!  It is entitled "The Business of Being Creative" and with it he shares his insights on anything and everything related to the business-side of our creative industry.

I have had the great pleasure of working with Sean on many projects over the past 4 years and I always am inspired and energized by his smart and level-headed approach to the business of our business.  He captivated the attendees at www.engage08:the encore and by popular demand, will lead a panel at www.engage09.com .

Be sure to add Sean's Blog to your RSS feed and visit also.  He is also a must follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/seanlow .

Welcome to the blogging world Sean and thank you for helping us all to look at this business from a practical and critical point-of-view!

engage!09 :: something blue registration opens!

Beginning tomorrow {Monday 2.2.09} at 9am official registration will begin for engage!09 :: something blue.  Specific details on registration are available on the blog.

Space is limited to the first 125 registrants and both engage!08 and engage!08:the encore sold out, so if you are interested in joining us we recommend you sign up as soon as possible!

In the meantime, we were thrilled to have announced the engage!09 scholarship winner - all the details over on the engage!09 blog.  Congratulations to deserving * rising star * Monica Gill of The White Box of Wedding Design - we look forward to meeting {and learning from} Monica in June in Grand Cayman.

So much has been happening in the past month - we promise other updates soon!

engage!09 Official Site is LIVE!

It is officially, official!  Be sure to check out the brand new website with all the details for engage!09 :: something blue at www.engage09.com -- including a special scholarship opportunity for a deserving 'rising star' wedding professional!

Industry News:: The Launch of Southern Weddings Magazine!

Congratulations to Lara Casey and all of the fab girls at Southern Weddings for the launch of their brand new magazine that hit newsstands today!  We were so fortunate to receive a few advance copies over our holiday break and are so impressed and just love their fresh approach!  

The publication is gorgeous and is packed with amazing real weddings and page after page of delicious wedding inspiration.  Simply put, the eye-candy from their super cool blog brought to life in the pages of a high quality magazine!

You can check out the blog for updated listings of where to find the publication -- which is growing daily!  

This team has literally taken the wedding industry by storm - with much of their success built from careful and strategic social media networking and an authentic and very transparent approach to this business - which really has set them apart in a very cluttered market.  I have loved watching them grow and have no doubt that they will continue to build an innovative and unique wedding brand from the ground up - and do it with their own refreshing style and flair! 

Keep a close eye on them - and be sure to follow them on Twitter and Facebook for the latest and greatest 'behind the scenes!' {and by the way - we are THRILLED that Lara has agreed to be a speaker at engage!09 :: something blue in Grand Cayman in June...more on that to follow but we know she will add a wonderful dynamic to the program!!}

Holiday Wishes from Engaging Concepts!!!

NYT::"Recession? Time to Slash the Flower Budget"

A 'must read' article for everyone in the wedding industry from The New York Times about how couples around the country are responding to the economy by 'slashing' wedding budgets. 

These consumer insights and behaviors are critical to understand and will have far-reaching impacts across all budget levels of weddings.  

Smart and savvy wedding professionals will not be reactive but rather proactive in understanding the mindset of today's newly engaged couple and offer creative ways for them to afford {and justify} their particular goods or services and above all else, overdeliver at every single point of contact during each stage of the wedding planning cycle and beyond.  

There is no doubt that the cream will certainly rise to the top and that there will be quite a few casualties along the way of those that have coasted for a long time and ridden the wave of consumer excess.  Those that truly 'get it' will emerge stronger than ever before - which one will you be!?!

Early *Buzz* for engage!09 :: something blue

We are so thrilled with the early response to our announcement about engage!09 :: something blue on June 21-24, 2009 at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.  We have heard from so many of you and are delighted that you are as excited as we are about the event.

We promise many more details in early January including a new website and blog. In the meantime, be sure to check out and join our fan page on Facebook!  

We also want to send out a heartfelt 'thank you' to the following amazing industry friends who took the time to share their thoughts on engage! with blog posts - here are a few:

Harmony Walton of The Bridal Bar

Lara Casey at Southern Weddings

Liene Stevens of The Smart Planner

Laura Novak of Laura Novak Photography and Strategy Avenue  

The Bliss Event Gals 

We have lined up a few additional AMAZING wedding industry speakers and will sharing that news after the new year so be sure to stay tuned!

TODAY Show: Luxury Remorse

Powerful paradigm shift in behavior of consumers from just a few months ago. Well worth a quick view to think about how this is/will continue to affect the wedding industry. Conspicuous consumption suddenly something to be ashamed of and hide...

Check out the blog post by Tina Brown on The Daily Beast that broke and inspired this piece entitled:

"Shopping in Secret: What Rich People Don't Want You to Know About Their Spending." WOW.

Over the Top Engagements:

From The Today Show & BRIDES Magazine comes a piece on the increasing trend towards extreme proposals:: "'Will you marry me?' goes extreme-In an age of modern love, guys are popping the question with flair to spare"

Check it out here - interesting to note the companies that are focusing on this niche...opportunity or waste of time?

Announcing: engage!09 :: something blue

Engaging Concepts is thrilled to announce the incredible details for engage!09::something blue!! This three day luxury wedding business summit will be held June 21-24, 2009 at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman so save the dates!!!!

Our amazing line-up of confirmed speakers will include:

-Darcy Miller, Editorial Director of Martha Stewart Weddings
-Millie Bratten, Editor in Chief of BRIDES
-Preston Bailey
-Marcy Blum
-Sylvia Weinstock
-Sean Low, President of Preston Bailey Designs
-Michelle Rago destination event designer and author
-Harmony Walton of The Bridal Bar LA
-Simon T. Bailey, author and brilliandeer
-Lara Casey, Editor in Chief of Southern Weddings
-Abby Larson founder and editor of Style Me Pretty
-Susan Moynihan, Editor in Chief of Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine
-Laura Novak, acclaimed wedding photojournalist and business consultant
-Randy Fenoli, Fashion Director of Kleinfeld and featured in TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress"

...with more announcements still to come!

Aside from the unprecedented opportunity to be with the “best of the best” in the luxury wedding industry, this summit will include a Seven Mile Beach welcome party Sunday evening, continental breakfast Monday morning followed by a full day’s educational and inspirational symposium, networking luncheon and VIP dine-around. Tuesday morning will kick-off with continental breakfast and four (50)-minute targeted breakout sessions. And of course you’ll have time to explore and experience fabulous Grand Cayman during the afternoon before the celebratory gala dinner Tuesday evening.

The cost is $2000 per person with many more details to follow in early January with the launch of the official engage!09 :: something blue website and blog. Registration will open Monday, February 2, 2009 and will be limited in order to keep the event intimate and impactful. The first two engage! events sold out and we expect to do the same with engage!09 so stay tuned for the launch of the website with all the specific details, special room rates, airline partners and more!

We look forward to seeing you in June and are thrilled to be hosting this expanded luxury wedding business summit in the beautiful Cayman Islands along with our presenting partner and long time client: The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism - we cannot wait to share this very unique and special tropical paradise with our friends in the wedding industry!!

Cayman Wedding Update and Business Symposium

Kathryn and I are headed to Grand Cayman for the remainder of the week for strategy meetings with our long time client, The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and to present a customized 1/2 day wedding business symposium to members of the wedding private sector!  

We have also arranged for the Director of Research for The Knot to come down and present the latest market intelligence research and consumer insights related to the Destination Weddings and Honeymoons as well as to roll out a new custom program for on island partners.

We look forward to seeing all of our Cayman wedding industry friends - old and new - at the Westin Casuarina Resort from 9am-12noon on Thursday, 11 December!  See you soon!

What a *big* week this is going to be...stay tuned!!!!!!!!

engage!08::the encore Highlight Video

*If you wish to view in a larger format or this version loads too slowly click here for a faster version!*

Thank you to the amazingly talented Brett Culp of CVP Experience-- he captured the event and brought it to life! Enjoy!

Sneak Peek from Shanghai

Here is sneak peek at just one of the {raw} selects from our hotel client photo shoot in Shanghai last week!  This is in front of the amazing chandelier that spanned 3 floors from the lobby. The photographer, stylist and model are quite famous in Shanghai and it was very interesting working with them on this project.

Our research for this ongoing project indicates that the wedding business in China is still in the very early stages of growth - only about 10 years or so!  Amazing if you think that there are close to 12 million weddings each year {compare that to the standard 2.4 million here in the U.S.}! There is so much opportunity for massive growth in this emerging nation especially so with the 'one child' policy in place in China - there is major focus by the parents and grandparents on hosting auspicious and lavish weddings.  

We have learned {and continue to learn} so much about this exciting and interesting market and are honored that this client has placed so much trust in our international wedding expertise to continue to tap us as advisors on building out their entire Asia-Pacific wedding marketing initiatives.  We will share the final outcomes in early 2009!

{click on photo to enlarge!}

Breaking Wedding Industry News: WeddingBeePro.com

This just in - today marks the official launch of WeddingBeePro - in founder Bee Kim's own words:  

I’m excited to announce the latest member of the Weddingbee blog family: a group blog by top wedding vendors!

Weddingbee PRO is a group blog about weddings, just like Weddingbee.  But this blog will have real wedding *vendors*, blogging about weddings from the vendor side of the aisle.  It’s the first group blog of its kind, and we couldn’t be more excited!

For all the scoop - including how you can be considered as a WeddingBeePro blogger - check out the site...congrats to Bee for yet another innovative approach to the wedding industry!  Can't wait to follow it as it grows!

"Luxury Shame": NEWSWEEK

I am back from my whirlwind trip to China and almost recovered from the massive change on time zones in a short period of time!!  What an experience!!

In the meantime, I came across this very salient article from this week's NEWSWEEK that sheds light on what is most likely already affecting everyone in the wedding industry {or will be in the very near future!}  - "Luxury Shame: Why even the very rich are cutting back on conspicuous consumption." 

A 'must read' for anyone servicing the higher-end, luxury wedding market...would love to hear your real life experiences relative to this topic!