The World Of Weddings & How It Is Changing…
BY | Elinor Eaton, Development Manager
Although I have never been married myself; I have had the privilege of attending a lot of weddings in my life! So, upon reading the research from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) I thought it would be interesting to share my thoughts.
Let’s unfold together the latest changes in the way those that choose marry, choose to do so…
I love a wedding!
Not only are they full of beautiful outfits and great food; weddings are also full of so much love and laughter. And of course the odd happy tear or two! They are also full of amazing imagination and creations, helping couples express their love for each other; but also their unique personalities.
No two weddings I have ever attended have ever been the same. Odd when you think about it! Weddings in its simplest terms are two people in love joining together for a future of happiness.
Yet they are all so very different!
Like every person is different! Yet all made up of two eyes, a nose and a mouth, we are still unique beings. And isn’t that wonderful? How dull life would be if we all looked the same – and how sad it would be if every wedding was a replica.
When you see peoples personalities expressed on their wedding day, their love for each other makes even more sense. It’s like looking into their love scrapbook, seeing the pieces that unite and bond them. It’s truly breathtaking.
The venue a couple chooses also says so much about who they are as a couple and what matters to them. When I was younger and dreaming of my wedding day, I would often think of myself walking barefoot down an aisle, scattered with grape veins in a vineyard in France, strolling to the gentle tunes of Sade at dusk. Sometimes my fairy tale would take me to a morning on a sunny beach, wearing diamante flip flops and linen, saying ‘I do’ to the sound of the waves gently stroking the sand.
And interesting, I wasn’t alone!
Many others were also conjuring up the idea that they too were going to step away from a more traditional wedding.
Researchers from the ONS have provided an interesting insight into what those inaugural dreams of a less traditional take have done to the current landscape for the wedding sector.
They have reported that the UK has seen a record low in religious ceremonies. They say that only 25% are choosing this more traditional day and the rest of the couples are having a more social event.
The New Continental Hotel…
This echoes our annual report for the New Continental Hotel during the years 2018/2019. We have seen an increase in civil weddings and a rapid decrease in couples joining us for a celebration after their religious ceremony. Just 2% of our couples in 2018/2019 chose a church wedding.
This doesn’t mean that weddings and marriages are less meaningful or spiritual now; it simply means that couples are choosing to express themselves and their love for one another in other ways. More and more venues have a premise licenses, there are 20 approved wedding venues in Plymouth alone. Also, not only is the choice plentiful more couples with differing cultures and religions are coming together, and so looking for something that will fit both their beliefs, dreams and desires.
For some couples, the religious ceremonies that are conducted at churches, in front of those closest and dearest and in the eyes of God will be the perfect setting for their futures to start. In the same way that those who chose a less religious day, equally as magical and sacred, choose a civil ceremony so that they have more freedom to personalise readings
What we have now more than perhaps ever before is more freedom and choice. Personalising these special days to reflect personalities and love for each other.
Mid-Week Weddings…
Here at the New Continental Hotel we have seen a huge increase in our mid-week wedding packages. Telling us that not only are couples choosing their way and their venue – but their day too. No longer thinking it must be a Saturday but working on a day that ticks all of your boxes as you tie the knot and start your lives together as a married couple.
Love, although different for everyone, needs its own ways and roots, and with the choices we now have, love can really bloom.
Congratulations if you have found your one and you are planning your forever together. If you’re thinking of a wedding day all under one elegant roof, then talk to our amazing Wedding Coordinators today and let them show you how our hotel can be yours for the day.