Wedding I Dos Don’t Necessarily Lead to I Spend

In a recent survey conducted by Traveler’s Joy, a popular online honeymoon registry service, 62 percent of respondents report that they plan to spend less on their honeymoon than originally intended due to the current economic downturn. The survey polled hundreds of Traveler’s Joy couples with a wedding date in 2009 as to how the economy was affecting their wedding registry and honeymoon plans. Although the wedding and honeymoon industry was once considered recession-proof, the results concluded that even brides and grooms are cutting back as they plan their dream wedding and honeymoon.
 
According to the Wedding Report, the average cost of a wedding fell 24 percent in 2008, from an average cost of $28,704 in 2007 to $21,814 in 2008. As couples spend less on their wedding, they also reconsider their honeymoon spending and registry behavior. The majority of Traveler’s Joy respondents still plan on taking a honeymoon, although 17 percent said they are postponing or possibly canceling their honeymoon due to the economy. Among couples that are still planning to take a honeymoon, 62 percent say they plan to spend less on their honeymoon because of the economy.
 
The surveyed couples noted many ways in which they plan to decrease costs, including staying closer to home, redeeming loyalty rewards for free airline tickets and hotel stays, taking advantage of travel discounts many hotels are offering, and cutting out some of the luxury extras like spa

Couples have also found that honeymoon registries can be a good solution for helping to fund that dream getaway. A honeymoon registry is similar to a traditional wedding registry although it allows a couple to register for portions of their honeymoon to receive as wedding gifts. Of Traveler’s Joy members, 45 percent of respondents said they were asking for more items from their honeymoon registry vs. their housewares registries. This has been a growing trend as couples are getting married at an older age and many already have the housewares they need. In the survey, Traveler’s Joy members said that being able to take a honeymoon was more important to them than receiving traditional gifts. Many cited the stress of wedding planning as a reason for making a post-wedding getaway a priority. Others said that, given the state of the economy, they would rather receive funds towards their honeymoon than housewares that they don’t need.